THE Nigerian Police Force on Friday, October 24, re-arrested human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore moments after a Kuje Magistrate Court granted him bail.
According to SaharaReporters, which first reported the incident, chaos erupted outside the courtroom as officers, led by Ilyasu Barau, working at the DC-CID, FCT Command, allegedly attacked Sowore and dragged him into a waiting police van.
The platform quoted witnesses who said the officers pounced on Sowore while his lawyers were still perfecting his bail conditions.
Background
The Kuje Magistrate Court had earlier on Friday granted Sowore and 13 others bail after they were arraigned for violating a restriction order on protests around major government buildings in Abuja.
They were charged with inciting public disturbance and breach of peace following the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest on October 20, 2025.
Those granted bail included Aloy Ejimakor, lawyer to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu’s brother. The court set bail at ₦500,000 each, with two sureties in like sum.
Police had arrested Sowore on Thursday, October 23, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was attending Kanu’s terrorism trial.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M