Tension flared on Thursday at the Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, after armed police officers reportedly attempted to rearrest businesswoman Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri shortly after she was granted bail.
Ohiri had been arraigned over alleged defamation of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, before Magistrate Ibraheem Ope. The court granted her bail in the sum of ₦1 million with two sureties in like sum.
Despite meeting the bail conditions through her defence team, led by Abubakar Marshal, heavily armed officers from the FCT Command allegedly surrounded the court premises in a Hilux vehicle in what supporters described as an attempt to rearrest her.
Reports indicate that the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Akin Fakorede, had obtained another detention warrant aimed at facilitating her transfer to the Keffi Correctional Centre.
Activists and supporters gathered at the court in solidarity with Ohiri, insisting that the bail order must be respected. They described the attempted rearrest as a violation of her rights and vowed to resist any action that would undermine the court’s ruling.
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who stood as one of her sureties, disclosed that he had contacted the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, urging him to caution officers involved in the incident.
As of the time of filing this report, the standoff between police officers and supporters remained ongoing. Although no violence had been reported, tension remained high as activists insisted that Ohiri should be allowed to leave in accordance with the bail granted by the court.