JUST IN : Police reportedly re-arrest Sowore moments after securing bail

Tension broke out outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday after police officers reportedly assaulted and rearrested human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, shortly after he was granted bail.

Witnesses at the court said the incident happened just moments after the magistrate approved bail for Sowore and 13 others.

According to those present, while his legal team was still working to fulfill the bail requirements, officers led by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the matter, identified as CSP Ilyasu Barau, who heads the Anti-Vice unit under the DC-CID, FCT Command, suddenly moved in. They allegedly attacked Sowore, dragged him on the ground, and forced him into a waiting van.

“The IPO (allegedly) punched him, dragged him on the ground, and pushed him violently into the van. They really manhandled him,” one eyewitness said.

Another witness said the officers ignored requests to show the court order that supposedly justified their actions.“When we demanded to see the remand order they claimed to have obtained from the court, the officer refused to produce any document. Police forcefully took Sowore to prison despite the bail granted to him. They cited a secret remand order,” the source added.

It was learnt that the officers also confronted some of the lawyers present during the scuffle. The police were said to have claimed they were acting on a remand order authorising Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre.

However, witnesses accused the police of defying the magistrate’s bail ruling and attempting to detain Sowore under questionable circumstances.“Meanwhile, the magistrate granted bail, and there was no mention of any remand order,” another eyewitness insisted.

Earlier in the day, the Kuje Magistrate Court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I’d, granted bail to Sowore and others arrested over the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.

Those granted bail included Aloy Ejimakor, lawyer to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu; his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu; and 11 others. The defendants were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.

The court granted each defendant bail in the sum of ₦500,000 and required them to present a verified National Identification Number (NIN), a three-year tax clearance certificate, and their passports as part of the bail terms.

Sowore was arrested on Thursday by police operatives shortly after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja. Videos of the arrest circulated online, drawing widespread condemnation from civil society and human rights groups, who described it as another effort to intimidate activists and stifle dissent.

The pro-democracy campaigner has long been an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government. His multiple arrests and alleged mistreatment by security operatives have repeatedly sparked outrage among local and international rights organisations calling for respect for judicial rulings and basic freedoms.

(SAHARA REPORTERS)