Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja has withdrawn from the fundamental rights enforcement suit instituted by the convener of RevolutionNow protests, Omoyele Sowore.
Justice Mohammed washed his hands off the case on Monday, saying it would be unfair to continue hearing the case despite Mr Sowore’s news platform, Sahara Reporters, accusing him of receiving bribe in a case.
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The judge was accused of receiving bribe to influence his decision in the trial of a former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, who is now being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Okon Abang.
Justice Mohammed said that the reports by Sahara Reporters in 2016 and 2019 made him withdraw from the ex-governor’s trial.
He added that if he rules in Sowore’s favour, it could be seen as having been blackmailed and that if he rules against Sowore, it could be perceived as vendetta.
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The judge then ordered that the case file be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, for reassignment to another judge.
Sowore and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, were first arrested in August 2019 by the Department of State Services (DSS) and were later in September charged with treasonable felony among other offences for calling for the RevolutionNow protests, which the Federal Government understood to be a call for the overthrow of President Muhammadu Buhari.
