Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has been charged for attempting to overthrow the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The opposition presidential candidate was also, charged for insulting the president, cybercrime and money laundering.
He was arrested early last month after calling for a revolution protest which the government said was meant to overthrow Mr Buhari defeated the publisher at the poll in this year’s presidential election held on February 23.
He is being detained by the State Security Services (SSS) who applied to keep him in custody pending the conclusion of investigation.
The seven count charge pressed against him were signed on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), by Aminu Alilu, a Chief State Counsel in the Department of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The charges were filed a day before the expiration of the detention order of the Federal High Court in Abuja permitting the SSS to keep the activist for 45 days which elapses on September 21.
He was charged alongside Olawale Bakare (also known as Mandate).
The charges includes: Conspiracy to commit treasonable felony in breach of section 516 of the Criminal Code Act by allegedly staging “a revolution campaign on September 5, 2019 aimed at removing the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during his term of office other than by constitutional means.”
Cybercrime offences in violation of section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act, by “knowingly” sending “messages by means of press interviews granted on Arise Television network which you knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult, enmity, hatred and ill-will on the person of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The actual offence of treasonable felony in breach of section, 4(1)(c) of the Criminal Code Act, ‘by using the platform of Coalition for Revolution, in August 2019 in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, to stage the #RevolutionNow protest allegedly aimed at removing the President.’
Money laundering offences in breach of section 15(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 by alleged transferring by means of swift wire. $19,975 on April 2, 2019; $20,475 on May 21, 2019, $16,975 on June 27, 2019, and another $16,975 on July 16, 2019.
