Former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, was on Thursday arrested by armed policemen shortly after attending the court session of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sowore, a vocal supporter of Kanu’s release, was reportedly accosted outside the court premises by police officers who told him they were acting on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The commissioner of police said we should bring you to the office,” one of the officers told him before he was taken away in a police van.
Although Sowore questioned the lack of an official invitation and insisted that his lawyer accompany him, the officers still escorted him to the FCT Police Command.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, had recently joined the #FreeNnamdiKanu protests in Abuja and other cities. During the demonstrations, police arrested 12 persons, including Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, and one of his lawyers, Alloy Ejimakor.
The arrested protesters were charged before a Chief Magistrate Court in Kuje for alleged criminal conspiracy, incitement, and disturbing public peace. The police accused them of holding the protest in defiance of a court order and chanting war songs that disrupted traffic flow in the city.
The First Information Report stated that the actions of the protesters “threatened national security” and violated sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code.
The court has fixed Friday for the arraignment of the 12 defendants, but it remains uncertain if Sowore will be added to the charge.
