The rights group also called on the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, to recuse himself from the case following Sowore's repeated public expressions of lack of confidence in the court's impartiality.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has alleged that the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and federal prosecutors had a pre-arranged plan to secure the conviction of fiery activist and presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.
HURIWA noted that the handling of Sowore's ongoing criminal trial mirrors what it described as the prolonged and controversial prosecution of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, warning that the case raises serious concerns about judicial independence and the rule of law.
"DSS DG Tosin Ajayi, Justice Mohammed Umar and the prosecutors had already reached a deal to jail Omoyele Sowore, the same way the Nigerian state has treated Nnamdi Kanu," HURIWA stated in a release issued on Friday.
The organisation, however, did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation.
