Activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested on Thursday by armed police officers within the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja. His arrest occurred shortly after he attended the court to show solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore, who has been vocal in demanding Kanu’s release from detention, was approached by security operatives who insisted he accompany them to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
When asked why he was being arrested, an officer reportedly stated that the team was acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, saying:
“The Commissioner of Police said we should bring you to the office.”
Sowore questioned the lack of a formal invitation and maintained that his lawyer must be present before he could be taken away. He was eventually escorted from the court in a police van.
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Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, confirmed the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter), describing the action as “preposterous” and alleging an assault on the judicial process.
“The arrest of Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja moments ago is preposterous. The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system. He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans,” he wrote.
Sowore’s arrest followed a protest he led on Monday as part of the ongoing #FreeNnamdiKanu demonstrations spreading across several states. During the protest in Abuja, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, his brother Emmanuel Kanu, and ten others were arrested and later remanded at Kuje Prison.
According to a First Information Report filed before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kuje, the police accused the defendants of organizing a protest in violation of a court order, chanting war songs, and disrupting public movement.
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They were further charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, and public nuisance — offences punishable under Sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.
The court has fixed Friday for the defendants to take their plea.