Tension erupted on Friday outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja as police officers re-arrested human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, moments after he was granted bail.
Witnesses said the incident occurred shortly after Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’Id granted bail to Sowore and 13 others arrested during the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
According to eyewitnesses, as Sowore’s lawyers were finalising his bail documentation, police officers led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, Officer in Charge of the Anti-Vice Unit under the FCT Command’s Criminal Investigation Department, suddenly attacked and overpowered him.
“The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and shoved him into a waiting police van,” a witness recounted. “When we asked for a remand order, the officers refused to show any document and claimed there was a ‘secret order’ from the court.”
Reports also indicated that some members of Sowore’s legal team were assaulted during the scuffle. The police allegedly insisted they were acting under a remand directive authorising Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre — a claim eyewitnesses said contradicted the court’s earlier ruling.
Earlier, the magistrate had granted Sowore and the others bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, requiring them to provide a verified National Identification Number (NIN), a three-year tax clearance certificate, and their international passports.
The other defendants include Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, his brother Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 11 others. They were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and public disturbance.
Sowore, who was initially arrested on Thursday after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja, has long been a prominent critic of the Nigerian government. His arrest sparked outrage among civil society groups and human rights organisations, which accused the authorities of continuing a pattern of intimidation and disregard for judicial orders.
Rights groups have repeatedly called on the government to respect due process and uphold the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest and expression.
