Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested by police in Abuja shortly after leaving the Federal High Court, where he had appeared.
The arrest was ordered by the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Sowore was scheduled to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite over charges of alleged forgery of a police wireless message, filed under the instruction of Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. He was informed at the court that the judge would not be sitting.
A police officer approached Sowore, stating he was under arrest on the orders of the FCT Commissioner. Members of his legal team, led by human rights lawyer Tope Temokun, confronted the officers, demanding the reason for the arrest. The police insisted they were acting on “direct instruction” from the Commissioner and escorted Sowore into a waiting vehicle.
Sowore and convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, is known for leading pro-democracy and human rights movements across Nigeria and has faced multiple arrests and legal battles since 2019 over his criticism of government corruption and advocacy for good governance.
