UK Blogger Maureen Badejo Released After Over a Month in Prison, Sowore Alleges ‘Lawfare’ by Religious Leaders
UK-based blogger Maureen Badejo was released this afternoon after spending over a month in detention at Kirikiri prison, according to a statement posted by publisher Omoyele Sowore on his official Facebook handle.
Sowore described her release as “the end of a troubling chapter of lawfare” and said her incarceration was “unjust.” He wrote: “This afternoon, UK based blogger Maureen Badejo was released from unjust incarceration after spending over a month in Kurokimi prison, in whatt was a coordinated campaign orchestrated by two prominent religious leaders, Apostle Johnson Suleman and Dr. Daniel Olukoya.”
In a longer piece titled _“LAWFARE: THE WEAPONIZATION OF LAW AND COURT JUDGES IN NIGERIA-The Ongoing Incarceration of Maureen Badejo,”_ Sowore defined lawfare as “the use of legal systems and processes as a weapon to intimidate, harass, or silence opponents instead of pursuing justice.”
He alleged that Badejo’s “ordeal started in February 2026” in Lagos. “Two influential religious figures, Apostle Johnson Suleman and Dr. Daniel Olukoya allegedly used their influence to initiate Maureen Badejo’s arrest. She was swiftly taken before a Magistrate’s Court, not for justice, but to create a veneer of legality for prolonged detention, the first phase of lawfare,” he wrote.
According to Sowore, bail was granted but with “conditions structured in a way that made them difficult to meet immediately,” leading to her remand. He further alleged: “While in detention, degrading videos and images of her were allegedly recorded and circulated, further turning her detention into a tool of humiliation beyond the courtroom.”
Sowore stated Badejo was later “re-arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko at the Federal High Court in Lagos on fresh charges, same charges,” and “denied an immediate hearing on her bail application and returned to Kirikiri prison.” He said bail was eventually granted with restrictive conditions requiring “sureties with landed property in specific parts of Lagos.”
He added: “The police prosecutor, led by one ASP Animashaun at the FCIID Annex Alagbon, repeatedly rejected the sureties presented, subjecting the process to endless scrutiny and delay.” Sowore wrote that after the sureties were cleared, “the judge required to sign off on her release was reportedly unavailable, effectively extending her detention until the next adjourned date, months away.”
He concluded: “The objective of this entire process is clear. It is not justice, but punishment through procedure.”
Apostle Johnson Suleman, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, Justice Akintayo Aluko, and ASP Animashaun have not issued public responses to the allegations as of press time. The Nigeria Police Force and the Federal High Court Lagos have also not commented on the claims.
Editorial Note:
This report relays statements and allegations published by Omoyele Sowore on Facebook.