Sharia law: Celebrated author and Obidient arrested for meeting married woman in Abuja hotel

Celebrated Nigerian author and supporter of Peter Obi, Dr. Ayo Sogunro is at the centre of a storm after the police in Abuja allegedly invaded his hotel room and arrested him for allegedly being in the company of a married woman as against the stipulations of Sharia Law.

The incident which happened last weekend leaked out after the author and human rights activist spoke about his embarrassment of spending the night in the police cell over the issue.

Sogunro, 38 who is based in South Africa and once reckoned as one of the 100 most influential Nigerians was in Abuja to organize a meeting with human rights activists and had upon arrival informed friends to catch up with him in his hotel room.

The married lady who happened to have been his acquittance from law school way back 15 years ago was the first to arrive. 15 minutes after her arrival, the police arrived the hotel room and were met by other friends of the author.

Explaining why they accosted him following his arrest, the author said:

“The DPO countered that (as we were in Northern Nigeria under the Penal Code), it was highly suspicious for a married woman to be visiting me and the police were within rights to have intervened and enter my hotel room without all that process.”

Following his release the author was quick to assert that the arrest may not have been on account of his Obidient inclination as he disclosed that he was visited by both All Progressives Congress, APC and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP associates.

However, reaction over the apparent implementation of Sharia law in Abuja was trending on Twitter on Thursday as the issue came to the fore.

Peoples Gazette @GazetteNGR