AfriPulse
This was made known by fiery human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a post shared on X on Thursday night.
Human rights activist and blogger, Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, has regained freedom from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
This was made known by fiery human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a post shared on X on Thursday night.
Describing Justice Crack’s detention as unjust and unlawful, Sowore wrote, “Justice Crack is out now. He is finally free from the unjust detention imposed by the lawless Department of State Services (DSS).
“This victory belongs to all who spoke out, resisted intimidation, and demanded justice.”
SaharaReporters had earlier reported concerns raised by Sowore over alleged efforts by the DSS to frustrate Justice Crack’s release despite meeting most of his bail conditions.
BREAKING: @JusticeCrack is out NOW. He is finally free from the unjust detention imposed by the lawless @OfficialDSSNG This victory belongs to all who spoke out, resisted intimidation, and demanded justice. #RevolutionNow pic.twitter.com/Dh1MloiROu
— Omoyele Sowore (@sowore) May 21, 2026
The activist had accused the secret police of deliberately frustrating the release of Justice Mark by withholding his international passport, thereby complicating the final process required for his release.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on May 18, 2026, granted bail to Chidiebere in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum.
Chidiebere is being prosecuted by the DSS over alleged cybercrime offences linked to a viral video concerning the Nigerian Army.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, while ruling on the bail application filed by the defendant, ordered that the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and must have maintained a fixed residential address for at least four years.
The court further directed that the surety must provide proof of residence through either a tenancy agreement or a certificate of occupancy to be deposited at the court registry.
In addition, the surety is required to be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15, with evidence of at least three months’ salary payment, a letter of authentication from the immediate head of department, and proof of pensionable employment.
Justice Abdulmalik also ordered that the surety must depose to an affidavit of means and submit a recent passport photograph to the court.
The court further directed the defendant, Chidiebere, to deposit his passport with the court as part of the bail conditions.
Justice Crack’s family members and supporters had said his ordeal began after he publicly criticised the military over the alleged extrajudicial killing of a civilian and highlighted the poor welfare of rank-and-file soldiers.
In a viral video, a woman identified as a relative of Justice Crack had described the conditions of his detention in emotional terms.
She said he was tied to a tree and left outside for 72 hours because he spoke for oppressed Nigerians.
Rather than addressing the allegations of torture, the military decided to transfer him to the DSS for prosecution, raising concerns about accountability within Nigeria’s security agencies.
The relative further alleged that Justice had become a target because he exposed the “brutal murder” of a civilian by soldiers and advocated for the “impoverished” soldiers who have been abandoned by the military high command.
“When are we going to finally fight for our voice? We don’t have a voice anymore. Nothing is working well in the country, and it can be anybody tomorrow,” she said.
The Nigerian Army had also officially confirmed the arrest of Justice Crack, accusing him of attempting to incite soldiers and plotting “subversion” against the military high command.
The army’s clarification followed a massive wave of public outrage sparked by reports suggesting that Justice Crack was abducted and subjected to torture, including being chained to a tree under the scorching sun for over 72 hours.
According to the military, Justice Crack’s interactions with military personnel went beyond whistleblowing.
The army alleged that the activist was cultivating “vulnerable personnel” to create discontent within the ranks.
“While the matter is being investigated for breach of the Armed Forces’ Social Media Policy and an attempt to misinform the public, preliminary report reveals that the soldiers discussed a wide range of issues with Justice Chidiebere, who seemed to be inciting soldiers to create discontent within the system. An example was a chat bothering on subversion which Chidiebere had with the soldiers,” the army said.
The army authority argued that such actions by civilians have “far-reaching implications on discipline and national security,” justifying the military’s decision to intercept the blogger.
Source: SaharaReporters.com | Read the Full Story…
