The Nigerian police on Thursday arrested human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore just outside the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A team of police officers arrested Mr Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja where detained leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu also appeared for his terrorism trial on Thursday.
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In a live video streamed by Mr Sowore, the activist was seen questioning the officers about the reason for his arrest.
“Do you want to bundle me? No invitation letter,” he asked, before voluntarily entering the police vehicle as his lawyers followed behind.
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The arrest follows close on the heels of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest led by Mr Sowore in Abuja on Monday, calling for Mr Kanu’s unconditional release from custody.
Mr Kanu, who appeared in court on Thursday to open his defence in his terrorism trial, has been detained by the State Security Service (SSS) since he was brought back from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021.
During Monday’s protest, the police arrested 12 protesters, including Mr Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and the IPOB leader’s brother, Emmanuel Kanu.
Mr Sowore was seen in a video clip running away from the protest scene around Transcorp Hilton Hotel in the Maitama District of Abuja after police began firing gunshots and teargas.
His arrest on Thursday is the latest in the series of running battles he has had with the police and the SSS just this year. Multiple criminal cases have been filed against him for different reasons by both agencies since the beginning of the year.
Mr Sowore, who usually attends hearings in Mr Kanu’s trial, was also at the Federal High Court in Abuja for a hearing of one of the criminal cases filed against him by the police before a judge, Emeka Nwite.
Preparatory to instituting the charges, the police arrested him and detained him for two days in August.
The prosecution accused him of forging a police wireless message and cyberbullying the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and his personal staff officer, Yemisi Kuti, over a police promotion scandal.
However, he was standing outside the court premises with close associates when the police moved to arrest him.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Sowore had described the case as “bogus and farcical,” alleging that it was politically motivated and linked to his criticism of the police leadership.
“The case of the illegally appointed IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, listed as FRN v. Omoyele Sowore & Sahara Reporters, is coming before Justice Emeka Nwite… They falsely allege that I forged a police wireless message and cyber-bullied the IGP’s ‘girlfriend’ and PSO, ACP Yemisi Kuti,” he wrote.
He also referenced a recent social media controversy involving Pastor Jerry Eze and the IGP’s aides, suggesting that the pastor deleted photos from a visit to the police headquarters after public backlash.
Legal team confronts police
Mr Sowore’s publication, Sahara Reporters, reported that a police officer approached Mr Sowore and informed him that he was being arrested on the orders of the FCT Commissioner of Police.
Members of his legal team, led by human rights lawyer Tope Temokun, confronted the officers and demanded to know the basis for the arrest.
The police reportedly insisted they were acting on “direct instruction” from the Commissioner before escorting him into a waiting vehicle.
Another lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, later posted on Facebook,“I have been denied access to my client, Omoyele Sowore, at the FCT Command by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of CID. I have now seen Sowore.”
As of press time, police spokesperson Josephine Adeh had not responded to calls and messages seeking comment.
Reactions
Mr Sowore, a former presidential candidate and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement has faced several arrests and trials since 2019, when he was detained by the SSS on treason charges for organizing protests against corruption in government.
His continued prosecution has drawn condemnation from Amnesty International and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which describe his repeated arrests as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom and dissent in Nigeria.
Legal experts say the use of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act in his current case mirrors a pattern of abusing cybercrime laws to silence critics and journalists.
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The Take It Back Movement (TIB), a civic group aligned with Mr Sowore, has condemned the arrest and threatened nationwide protests if he is not released immediately.
The group described his detention as “an attempt to silence dissenting voices under the guise of law enforcement.”
Several rights groups have also linked the arrest to Nigeria’s broader pattern of targeting journalists and activists, despite constitutional guarantees of free expression.
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