- the incident unfolded shortly after the magistrate issued bail for Sowore, 13 other defendants
- Attempts to see a remand order were reportedly ignored by the police
- the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja to be released on ₦500,000 each
Tension erupted outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja when police officers forcefully dragged human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, into a waiting vehicle despite the court having granted him bail.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that eyewitnesses at the court said the incident unfolded shortly after the magistrate issued bail for Sowore and 13 other defendants.
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As his legal team was finalizing the bail conditions, police officers, led by Investigating Police Officer CSP Ilyasu Barau of the FCT Command’s DC-CID, allegedly grabbed Sowore, manhandled him, and pushed him into a waiting van.
According to witnesses, Sowore resisted, prompting officers to punch and drag him. “The IPO punched him, dragged him to the ground, and pushed him violently into the van.
They really manhandled him,” one observer recounted. Attempts to see a remand order were reportedly ignored by the police, who claimed a “secret” authorization to transfer him to Kuje Correctional Centre.
The magistrate’s bail order had allowed Sowore and others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja to be released on ₦500,000 each, contingent on presenting a verified National Identification Number (NIN), three-year tax clearance certificates, and their passports.
The defendants included Aloy Ejimakor, legal counsel to IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu; Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi’s younger brother; and 11 other protesters.
Sowore had been arrested the previous day after leaving the Federal High Court, where he had come to show support for Kanu.
Videos of his arrest circulated online, drawing criticism from civil society organizations and human rights groups, who condemned the act as an attempt to suppress dissent and silence activism.
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