Human Rights Activist, Omoyele Sowore

Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore was forcibly taken by armed police from the Federal High Court in Abuja shortly after appearing in relation to the case of the detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Sowore, a prominent campaigner for Kanu’s release, was accosted by security operatives on Thursday who insisted on taking him to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command. When asked about the reason for his detention, an officer said they were acting on orders from the Commissioner of Police.

Despite Sowore’s request to have his lawyer present and his questioning of the absence of any official invitation, he was placed in a police van and taken away.

Sowore, who is also the publisher of the Sahara Reporters online platform, was a key organizer of the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest that took place last Monday in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

During that protest, 12 individuals including Kanu’s younger brother Emmanuel and lawyer Alloy Ejimakor were arrested and remanded in Kuje prison.

According to the police’s First Information Report (FIR), the defendants were charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, and breach of public peace for allegedly defying a court order, chanting war songs, and disrupting traffic during the protest. The charges cite sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.

The court has scheduled Friday to take the defendants’ pleas. It remains unclear whether Sowore will be formally charged or added as a defendant.