Tension flared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday as security operatives arrested former presidential candidate and activist, Omoyele Sowore, shortly after he appeared in solidarity with detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Eyewitnesses said the publisher of Sahara Reporters was surrounded by armed policemen outside the court premises and whisked away in a police van. According to the officers, the arrest was made on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command.
“The Commissioner said we should bring you to the office,” one of the policemen told Sowore when he demanded to know his offence.
The activist, who insisted that his lawyer must accompany him, questioned the legality of the arrest and the lack of a formal invitation before being taken away.
Sowore has been a vocal supporter of Kanu’s release and one of the key organisers of the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest held in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria earlier in the week. The protest led to the arrest of 12 people, including Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, and his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor.
In a First Information Report (FIR) filed at a Chief Magistrate Court in Kuje, police accused the protesters of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, and breach of public peace—offences under sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code.
According to the police, the protesters “chanted war songs, obstructed traffic, and acted in defiance of a court order” while calling for Kanu’s release.
The court is expected to take the defendants’ plea on Friday, though it remains uncertain whether Sowore will now be added to the list of those charged.
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