Newday Reporters

Police Arrest Omoyele Sowore at Federal High Court in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election, Omoyele Sowore.

Sowore was reportedly apprehended on Thursday by armed police officers within the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja, shortly after he arrived to show solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Confirming the incident, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, told Channels Television that Sowore is currently in police custody and will be charged to court today. According to Hundeyin, the activist’s arrest followed his alleged violation of a court order restricting protests around the Three Arms Zone in the Federal Capital Territory.

Reacting to the arrest, human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong condemned the police action, describing it as “preposterous.”

In a post on his X handle, Effiong wrote:

> “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.”

Sowore’s arrest comes just days after he led the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja on Monday, calling for the release of the IPOB leader. During the demonstration, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, his brother, Emmanuel Kanu, and ten other protesters were arrested and later remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

On Tuesday, a Magistrate Court sitting in Kuje ordered the remand of the arrested individuals, who were charged by the police with two counts of inciting public disturbance and breach of peace.

According to the charge sheet, the accused persons were said to have obstructed traffic, disrupted public order, and chanted war songs while demanding Nnamdi Kanu’s release.

Sowore had earlier accused security operatives of attacking peaceful demonstrators during Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu rally in Abuja, describing the incident as an unprovoked assault on citizens exercising their right to peaceful protest.

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