By Chido Nwangwu
U.S Senator Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has warned Nigeria’s leader Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army general, that the American government may be compelled to reassess its bilateral relations with the west African country due to the series of disregard for the rule of law and court orders.
During his press conference on Thursday December 6, 2019 monitored by USAfricaonline.com the influential senator added that in the face of the re-arrest Inside the court of Omoyele Sowore, a prominent Nigerian-American journalist and activist, such a reassessment has become a hopeful option.
Menendez released the following statement
“I am outraged by the blatant harassment of Omoyele Sowore, an activist and journalist whose only crime appears to be exercising his right to free expression.
“In a concerted effort to secure his release on behalf of the Sowore family living in New Jersey, my office has been working closely with the State Department as Mr. Sowore’s case languished following his arbitrary arrest back in August. While we continue to seek immediate answers about Mr. Sowore’s treatment and conditions in jail, I will be further engaging directly with U.S. Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard in Abuja to raise this case at the highest levels of the Nigerian government so the Buhari administration gets the message that we are committed to defending Mr. Sowore’s rights and securing his release.
“This blatant miscarriage of justice is symptomatic of closing political and media space in Nigeria.”
