Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore announced on August 21 that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has withdrawn charges against two young Nigerians, including Bayero University Kano (BUK) student Maryam Isah Shehu, following a public complaint he lodged over what he described as “the egregious violation of the rights” of the pair.
According to Sowore, the reversal came a day after he went public with the allegations. “We are glad that wisdom finally prevailed at the @officialEFCC,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite the EFCC’s move, the two remain behind bars. Shehu and the second individual were remanded in Kuje and Suleja prisons, respectively, by a Federal High Court judge the previous day. Sowore said that judge did not sit in court at all the following day, stalling their release.
“Their release is still being delayed,” Sowore said, adding that he hoped Justice Joyce Abdulmalik would “still show up and sit, even briefly” so that Shehu could “regain her freedom and commence her final examinations tomorrow.”
Sowore credited a coalition of lawyers and activists for pushing the case forward. He singled out activist Deji Adeyanju, who “despite being on vacation in Paris, weighed in heavily,” as well as human rights attorneys Abbah Hikima and Hamza N. Dantani.
He also praised lawyers working on the ground, “particularly Chimela, Esq,” whom he said had “not rested all day, working tirelessly on the necessary paperwork to secure their freedom.”
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) also threw its weight behind the effort. Sowore said NANS leadership was present at the Federal High Court “to lend its support and help secure Maryam’s freedom,” calling their involvement “greatly appreciated.”
With Shehu’s final examinations reportedly set to begin the next day, Sowore urged Bayero University Kano to intervene if her release is not secured in time. He called on the university’s authorities to “take special notice of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her detention” and to allow her “the opportunity to rewrite any examinations she misses as a direct consequence of her detention.”
Sowore closed his statement with a broader appeal: “An injustice against one is an injustice against all. No one shall be left behind!” #Securitynewsalert.com
