In what human rights observers have described as a disturbing return to dictatorship-era tactics, officers of the Nigeria Police Force on Thursday reportedly abducted human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, shortly after his appearance at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
According to eyewitnesses and his legal counsel, Barrister Tope Temokun, the incident occurred moments after Sowore’s court session in the case between the Federal Republic of Nigeria vs. Omoyele Sowore & Sahara Reporters.
“As soon as we stepped out of the court premises, some policemen approached us claiming that the FCT Commissioner of Police wanted to see Mr. Sowore,” Temokun told Chronicles Reporters.
“Sowore didn’t resist. He agreed to go with them, and I followed closely as his lawyer. But what began as a mere ‘invitation’ quickly turned into a dark, familiar script of deceit.”
Instead of being taken to the office of the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sowore and his lawyer were reportedly diverted to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Criminal Investigation Department (CID). There, they were informed that Sowore allegedly led a protest in an area where a “court order” supposedly banned demonstrations.
Temokun said he immediately challenged the claim, insisting that if there was a valid court order, any alleged breach should be treated as a matter of contempt before the same court—not as a police case.
“At that point, I asked the DC CID directly: ‘Is my client under arrest?’ He said no,” Temokun recounted. “Yet, moments later, they handed us over to another officer, CSP Iliyasu Barau, the OC Anti-Vice, who demanded that Sowore should make a statement.”
Sowore reportedly refused, maintaining that he had not been accused of any offense and would not make any statement without a formal allegation.
However, instead of being taken to the Inspector-General of Police as promised, the activist was driven to the notorious IRT detention facility at “Abattoir”, a site infamous for rights abuses and extrajudicial detentions. There, he was allegedly detained without a court order, charge, or explanation.
Legal experts and civil society groups have since condemned the arrest as a gross violation of constitutional rights and an abuse of due process.
“There is no law in Nigeria that empowers the police to detain a citizen over an alleged breach of a ‘court order’ in a case already before the court,” Temokun emphasized. “If such an order exists, only the court that made it can handle issues of disobedience. What the police have done is not law enforcement—it is executive impunity.”
Observers warn that the development marks a dangerous slide into anarchy and authoritarian rule, where dissent and peaceful protests are treated as crimes.
“To abduct a man for leading a protest, to deceive him under false pretext, and to detain him incommunicado—this is not democracy,” Temokun said. “It is lawlessness masquerading as governance.”
The Chronicles Reporters can confirm that Sowore remains in police custody at the IRT “Abattoir” facility as of the time of filing this report. His legal team and supporters have called for his immediate and unconditional release, warning that Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive if the fundamental right to dissent continues to be criminalized.