Nigeria court remands opposition activist on treason charge

• Nigeria's high court on Monday ordered a former presidential candidate remanded in custody after he was charged.
• The judge set a bail hearing for Friday.

ABUJA: Nigeria's high court on Monday ordered a former presidential candidate remanded in custody after he was charged with plotting treason over calls for a "revolution" in the West African nation.

Omoyele Sowore, a fierce critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, has been held since August by the Department of State Services (DSS) secret police after urging protests under the online banner "#RevolutionNow".

Last week a judge in the capital Abuja ordered him released from detention but the authorities ignored the ruling and kept him locked up.

Sowore, who runs news website Sahara Reporters, was officially charged at the hearing on Monday on seven counts, including "treasonable felony", "cyberstalking" the president and money laundering.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The judge set a bail hearing for Friday.

Sowore, whose outlet regularly reports on official graft, had called for the protest campaign to demonstrate against misrule in Nigeria.

The authorities' handling of this case has sparked criticism from rights activists and prominent Nigerians, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.

Sowore came tenth at elections in February that saw Buhari claim a second term, but he sparked interest with his anti-establishment message.