Human Rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Abuja.
Available reports indicated that Sowore was picked up on Thursday morning shortly after leaving the Federal High Court, where he had a scheduled appearance.
According to insider information, the arrest was ordered by the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a Police officer approached Sowore, who still processing information about the suddenly cancelled court sitting, informing him that he was under arrest on the orders of the FCT Commissioner of Police.
Immediately confronting the officers, members of Sowore’s legal team, led by Human Rights lawyer Tope Temokun, demanded to know why the sudden arrest of their client.
But insisting that they were acting on “direct instructions” from the Commissioner, the Police operatives proceeded to escort Sowore into a waiting vehicle before driving away to an unknown destination.
Sowore was scheduled to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite on Thursday over what he described as a “bogus and farcical” charge of alleged forgery of a Police wireless message, filed under the instruction of the “illegal Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun”.
However, on arriving the Court premises, the activist was suddenly informed at the Judge is unavailable and the sitting would no longer hold.
Sowore, who is the Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, has faced multiple arrests and legal battles since 2019 over his constant criticism of government corruption and demand for good governance.
Known for leading several pro-democracy and human rights movements across Nigeria, the publisher of SaharaReporters, remains an unrepentant critic of what he terms anti-people’s policies by the government.
