Police arrest Omoyele Sowore outside Abuja court

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested by police officers in Abuja on Thursday.

The SaharaReporters publisher was reportedly apprehended shortly after leaving the Federal High Court, where he was scheduled to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite over what he described as a “bogus and farcical” forgery charge involving a police wireless message. The charge, according to Sowore, was filed under the directive of the “illegal Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.”

Sources revealed that Sowore was informed at the court premises that the judge would not be sitting. Moments later, a police officer approached him, stating that he was being arrested on the orders of the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Members of Sowore’s legal team, led by rights lawyer Tope Temokun, confronted the officers and demanded an explanation for the arrest. Despite their objections, the police maintained that they were acting on “direct orders” from the Commissioner before escorting Sowore into a waiting vehicle.

Sowore, a vocal critic of government policies and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, has been repeatedly detained since 2019 for his activism and calls for accountability and good governance in Nigeria.