Fresh revelations have emerged suggesting that the violent arrest and detention of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore at the Kuje Magistrate Court on Friday was allegedly premeditated through collusion between the police and the presiding magistrate.
According to multiple sources, the police team, led by CSP Ilyasu Barau and ACP Victor of the State CID, in concert with the court’s Senior Magistrate, orchestrated Sowore’s remand even after he had been granted bail and his legal team had concluded all necessary conditions.
Eyewitnesses told The Legal Observer that over 50 armed officers were deployed to the Kuje court from Abuja, mounting checkpoints and restricting access to the premises. Upon arrival, the magistrate reportedly exchanged pleasantries with police officers before proceeding to court.
Once proceedings began, the magistrate granted Sowore bail under what observers described as “unusual conditions.” However, immediately after exiting the courtroom, he was allegedly summoned by police lawyers and senior officers into his chambers. Moments later, he reportedly left the premises under pressure from the officers.
A top court source revealed that the magistrate was “threatened and chased away” after police officials told him that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) wanted Sowore kept in prison “for as long as possible.” The officers allegedly compelled the magistrate to sign a remand warrant, which they then used to justify Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre.
“They forced the magistrate to write and sign a remand warrant and drove him away, even when Sowore’s lawyers had completed his bail documentation by 1pm,” the source said. “By 8pm, the magistrate had still not returned to sign the bail bond.”
Witnesses said that as soon as the magistrate departed, the police became increasingly violent, confiscating phones, beating lawyers and observers, and forcing Sowore into a waiting police van.
Sowore was reportedly assaulted by CSP Barau, who tore his shirt during the scuffle. His lawyer, Temitope Temokun, protested that the police had no authority to remand a defendant once bail was perfected, but he was also manhandled. A food vendor and another lawyer were briefly detained for recording the incident.
At Kuje Prison, the DPO of Kuje Division allegedly attempted to force Sowore into the facility, but prison warders refused, insisting that police officers had no further role once a remand order was presented.
Despite efforts by Sowore’s legal team, the bail bond could not be signed due to the magistrate’s disappearance, leaving the activist and others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest still in custody.
Police Justify Actions
In a statement, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin defended the police, arguing that a court’s grant of bail does not automatically entitle a suspect to immediate freedom. He stated that officers were merely enforcing a remand warrant and were empowered to use “commensurate force” where necessary.
“Once a suspect is granted bail, he remains in custody until all bail conditions are met,” Hundeyin posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Where a remand warrant specifies that a suspect be held in a correctional facility, it is the duty of the police to hand him over to the Nigeria Correctional Service.”
Observers, however, have criticised the police’s justification, describing it as an abuse of judicial process and a violation of constitutional rights, noting that the bail process had been completed before the alleged remand order was issued.
Legal experts say the development raises serious concerns about judicial independence, police accountability, and the growing trend of executive interference in politically sensitive cases.
