Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has alleged that his client, activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, was violently re-arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police shortly after being granted bail by a magistrate court in Kuje, Abuja.
Sowore, who had earlier been detained over a protest demanding the release of detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, reportedly regained temporary freedom on Friday before police operatives forcefully took him away from the court premises.
Speaking to journalists outside the courtroom, Adeyanju described the incident as “a violent attack” involving more than 50 officers.
“He was violently attacked by more than 50 police officers. They took him away by force, and we do not know where they have taken him,” Adeyanju said.
The lawyer added that when he demanded to see the alleged remand order authorizing Sowore’s re-arrest, the officers refused to present it.
“The officer who led the operation claimed they had a remand order but wouldn’t show it to us. When we asked where they were taking him, they said Kuje Prison. An argument followed, and the officer said because Sowore called the IGP useless, they must deal with him. That was when all of them started attacking him,” he recounted.
Adeyanju said legal efforts were ongoing to perfect Sowore’s bail conditions despite the re-arrest.
Sowore’s arrest and continued detention have sparked nationwide outrage, with several civil society organizations describing the police action as an affront to constitutional rights and democratic principles.
