Nigerian Rights Official Elected to African Rights Network as High-Profile Trials Proceed
Tony Ojukwu of Nigeria's NHRC was elected vice-president of the African Rights Network, while courts advanced cases involving Omoyele Sowore and former official El-Rufai.
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Nigerian human rights official Tony Ojukwu has been elected vice-president of the African Rights Network, marking a rise in Nigeria’s regional human rights engagement. Mr Ojukwu, who serves as Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), was elected on 26 June during the Fourth Annual Conference of the African Network of Public Media and News (ANPMN) in Kigali, Rwanda, according to Premium Times.
The appointment underscores growing recognition of Nigerian human rights leadership on the continent. Ojukwu’s role in the African Rights Network, a pan-African coalition promoting human rights advocacy and legal reform, follows increased institutional visibility for the NHRC in recent years. The source did not detail the network’s structure or mandate but confirmed his election during the Kigali conference.
Meanwhile, legal proceedings continue in two high-profile cases in Abuja. A Federal High Court granted Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress and publisher of Sahara Reporters, bail set at 200 million Nigerian naira. Justice Mohammed Umar issued the ruling on 30 June, requiring two sureties: one a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community and the other a person who owns landed property in Abuja, Premium Times and Daily Trust reported.
Sowore faces charges related to alleged cybercrime, though details of the charges were not provided in the source material. The bail conditions reflect judicial scrutiny typically applied in sensitive national cases.
On the same day, human rights lawyer Oluwole Aladedoye Adeyanju testified in the ongoing national security breach trial involving former official Nasir El-Rufai. The hearing, held at the Federal High Court in Abuja, saw Adeyanju appear as a witness, Business Day reported. No further details about the nature of his testimony or the specific charges against El-Rufai were included in the source.
The convergence of these developments highlights active judicial and rights-related dynamics in Nigeria, with domestic legal processes unfolding alongside rising international human rights participation.