Confusion and outrage erupted on Friday outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja after police officers re-arrested human rights activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, just moments after the court granted him bail.
Eyewitnesses at the scene told Chronicles Reporters that officers of the Nigeria Police Force, led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Vice Unit under the FCT Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (DC-CID), violently attacked Sowore before dragging him into a waiting police van.
According to witnesses, the police descended on Sowore while his legal team was still in the process of perfecting his bail conditions.
“The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and shoved him into the van. They manhandled him badly,” an eyewitness said.
The officers reportedly refused to produce any court document when asked to show a remand order authorising the re-arrest.
“They claimed to have a secret remand order but refused to show it. The magistrate had just granted him bail — there was no mention of any remand order,” another witness told Chronicles Reporters.
SaharaReporters also reported that several lawyers and supporters who attempted to intervene were assaulted by the police.
Earlier in the day, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’Id of the Kuje Magistrate Court had granted bail to Sowore and 13 others arrested during Thursday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
The court granted each defendant bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with conditions including a verified National Identification Number (NIN), three-year tax clearance certificate, and submission of passports.
However, the dramatic scene outside the court appeared to contradict the ruling, as police officers whisked Sowore away under unclear circumstances.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate and longtime pro-democracy campaigner, has been repeatedly arrested and detained by Nigerian security agencies over his activism. His latest arrest has reignited public outrage and condemnation from rights groups who view it as another attempt to stifle dissent and undermine judicial authority.
Human rights observers and civil society organisations have already begun calling for Sowore’s immediate release and for the police to respect the rule of law.
As of the time of filing this report, Sowore’s current location remains unclear, though multiple sources suggest he has been transferred to the Kuje Correctional Centre.