Activist Omoyele Sowore has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of obstructing the fulfillment of bail conditions for social critic Justice Crack. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Sowore stated that Justice Crack has met all bail requirements except for surrendering his international passport, which is currently held by the DSS.
Sowore claimed the DSS has refused to release the passport to Justice Crack's lawyers so it can be submitted to the court. He wrote: 'UPDATE ON JUSTICE CRACK: It should be noted that Justice Chidiebere, aka Justice Crack, has fulfilled virtually all his bail conditions except one issue involving the deposit of his international passport. Ironically, the passport is currently in the custody of the lawless DSS, which has refused to release it to his lawyers to enable full compliance with the bail conditions and secure his release from unjust detention.'
Sowore further suggested that the bail conditions might have been deliberately designed to be impossible to meet, prolonging Justice Crack's detention despite the court's ruling. He ended with the hashtag #FreeJusticeCrackNOW.
Background of the Case
Justice Crack is being prosecuted by the DSS for alleged cybercrime offenses linked to a viral video concerning the feeding of the Nigerian Army. On Monday, May 18, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like amount.
Bail Conditions
The judge ordered that the surety must reside within the court's jurisdiction at a fixed address for at least four years and provide proof of residence through a tenancy agreement or certificate of occupancy. Additionally, the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15, with evidence of at least three months' salary, a letter of authentication from the immediate head of department, and proof of pensionable employment. The surety must also depose to an affidavit of means and submit a recent passport photograph. The defendant was ordered to deposit his international passport with the court.
Despite these conditions, Justice Crack remains in custody as the DSS has not released his passport, according to Sowore.
