The Nigerian Police have allegedly assaulted and injured human rights activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, during his detention, and inflicted a serious injury on his right hand before moving him to an undisclosed location.
The incident was disclosed early Thursday morning via Mr. Sowore’s verified social media handles.
Mr. Sowore, who is the founder of Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), was detained after honouring a police invitation earlier this week.
Amnesty International (AI) has condemned what it described as a violent and unlawful attempt by police officers to forcibly drag detained activist Sowore from his cell to an undisclosed court around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
In a statement released via social media, the global human rights body said Mr Sowore sustained a serious injury to his right hand during the altercation and was subsequently moved to an unknown location, raising concerns about his well-being and access to medical care.
“We just received a deeply disturbing report of the violent attempt by the police to forcibly drag activist Omoyele Sowore from his cell to ‘a court’ at 6:00 a.m.,” Amnesty International said.
“As a result, he sustained a severe injury on his left hand. Right now, he has been taken to an unknown location.”
Amnesty called on Nigerian authorities to halt any further harm against Sowore, demanding that he be granted immediate medical attention and denouncing the act as a violation of due process and legal rights.
Background to Sowore’s Arrest
Mr Sowore was invited by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit following a petition filed against him. However, upon receiving the summons—which was later rescheduled—he requested an advance copy of the petition to understand the nature of the allegations. The police reportedly declined to provide the document.
Despite the lack of transparency, Sowore appeared at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, accompanied by his supporters and fellow activists. He was detained shortly after his arrival.
In the days leading up to his arrest, Sowore had been vocally critical of IGP Kayode Egbetokun, questioning the legality of his continued stay in office and alleging favoritism and abuse of power, including the alleged rapid promotion of a mistress within the Nigeria Police Force.
Before his arrest, Sowore had posted on social media calling on “every citizen of conscience” to join him at the Force Headquarters, stating:
“The IGP Monitoring Unit has scheduled my interview for tomorrow at 11:00 AM, yet they have refused to provide a copy of the purported petition against me. It is now clear that their intention is to conceal the sinister plan of the illegal IGP and continue operating in darkness… Let every freedom fighter, every citizen of conscience, every voice of resistance assemble early tomorrow at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.”
AI Demands His Release
Amnesty criticised attempts to subject Mr Sowore to a judicial process without access to his lawyer, and called it a flagrant disregard for the rule of law.
“The authorities have an obligation to respect and uphold due process of law,” AI stated.
The organization demanded Sowore’s unconditional release and the withdrawal of all politically motivated charges. It accused the government of using state institutions to stifle dissent and intimidate critics.
“The authorities should listen to critics instead of seeking to gag them through outright abuse of power,” Amnesty International said.
Efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, for comments on the incident were unsuccessful. Calls placed to his mobile number were not answered, and a text message sent to him was not replied to as of the time of filing this report.
(WikiTimes)
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