Former presidential candidate and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was on Thursday arrested by armed police officers outside the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The arrest occurred shortly after he appeared in solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Eyewitnesses reported that the police confronted Sowore immediately after the court session, insisting he accompany them to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command.
When Sowore asked to know his offence, one of the officers stated, “The Commissioner of Police said we should bring you to the office.”
Despite questioning the absence of a formal invitation, Sowore agreed to go with the officers on the condition that his lawyer would accompany him. He was eventually taken away in a police van.
Sowore, publisher of the online news platform Sahara Reporters, has been a vocal advocate for Kanu’s release and was one of the organisers of the #FreeNnamdiKanu protests held earlier in the week across Abuja and other cities.
During Monday’s protest, 12 individuals, including Kanu’s younger brother Emmanuel Kanu and one of his lawyers Aloy Ejimakor, were arrested and later remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police before a Chief Magistrate Court in Kuje, the protesters were accused of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, and breach of public peace offences punishable under Sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code.
The police alleged that the protesters “chanted war songs, disrupted traffic, and disobeyed a court order while demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who is undergoing lawful trial at the Federal High Court.”
The court has fixed Friday for the arraignment and plea of the 12 detained defendants. It remains unclear whether Sowore will now be added to the list of accused persons.
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