HUMAN rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has been released from police custody after nearly two days in detention.
He described his ordeal as “unjust, unwarranted and unlawful,” shortly after his release.
Sowore announced his release in a post on X on Friday, August 8, accusing the Nigeria Police Force and its Inspector-General, Kayode Egbetokun, of acting illegally before yielding to pressure from what he called the “revolutionary movement.”
“Nigeria Police Force @PoliceNG and its illegal IGP has capitulated to the demands of the revolutionary movement, I have been released from unjust, unwarranted & unlawful detention.
“However, it is nothing to celebrate, work tongues, but I can’t do without thanking you all for not giving up. You’ve all seen the power of unity #RevolutionNow,” he wrote.
The activist’s detention drew widespread condemnation from political leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, who both demanded his immediate release.
The ICIR reported that Sowore had appeared before the IGP Monitoring Unit on Wednesday, August 6, after receiving a letter of invitation signed by Akin Fakorede.
The activist said the summon was issued without including a copy of the petition against him, a move he described as an attempt to conceal a “sinister plan” against him.
Hours after appearing before the police, his handle posted that two petitions were presented to him, one alleging forgery and another allegedly written by a senior female police officer accusing him of “criminal defamation.”
He claimed the officer, Bukola Yemisi Kuti, had recently been promoted to ACP due to her ties with the top police hierarchy.
The activist’s detention continued into Thursday, with his social media account later alleging that a special unit led by CSPs, including former SARS commander Akin Fakorede, assaulted him, broke his right hand, and transferred him to an undisclosed location.
However, earlier on Friday, the Commissioner of Police for the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle, told journalists that Sowore’s arrest was based on two petitions.
According to him, one of the petitions alleged the forgery of a police document he had published online, and another accusing him of cyberbullying.
Shogunle said Sowore was shown the petitions in the presence of his lawyers but refused to make a statement during interrogation.
“The two petitions were shown to him in the presence of his lawyers. The issue now is that he refused to make a statement in the presence of his lawyers. It is in the record.
“And the procedure under the Nigerian law is very clear. When an allegation is made against you, you are called upon; you have a duty to put down your own position,” Shogunle said.
He emphasised that the police were professionals and were adhering to the procedures laid down by the law.
“He has the right to remain silent, and the police also have the duties and responsibilities under the law to follow certain procedures once a suspect decides to keep mute. We won’t say, “Because you have decided to keep mute, you can go,” no,” the CP stated.
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