The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has faulted the detention of a human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the Nigeria Police Force.
Obi said Omoyele’s detention shortly after he voluntarily honoured an invitation by the police was a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of state power.
“From all indications, no urgency or criminal flight risk warranted such high-handed treatment.
“To detain a citizen who came of his own accord, without the public disclosure of clear, lawful charges, is not only a miscarriage of justice but an abuse of state power,” Obi stated in a post on X on Thursday night.
READ ALSO: Sowore: Supporters Protest In Abuja, Lagos, Demand Activist’s Release
According to him, the arrest, particularly under circumstances where Sowore — the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Alliance — presented himself in good faith to law enforcement, should be condemned by all who value justice and due process.
The former Anambra State governor, therefore, called on the police to immediately release Sowore or charge him formally under the law.
“As the ancient Greek philosopher Plato rightly said, ‘Justice in the life and conduct of the state is possible only as it first resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens’. When those entrusted with power act unjustly, they poison not only the legal order but the moral conscience of the nation.
“Anything short of this would be a further erosion of public trust in the nation’s law enforcement institutions. It is our collective duty to insist that the rule of law must apply to all citizens – regardless of ideology, background, or political alignment,” he added.
Alleged Forgery, Inciting Disturbance
Sowore, in the company of his supporters, had arrived at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, on Wednesday afternoon to honour the police invitation over alleged “forgery and inciting disturbance”.
But reports emerged that the police detained him on Thursday as he had not yet secured his freedom.
The development was greeted with widespread condemnation across the country.
The police came under fire after allegedly breaking the hand of Sowore during an attempt to forcibly transfer him from custody to court on Thursday.
The activist was subjected to violence by officers at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja at 6 am, Amnesty International claimed.
“As a result, he sustained a severe injury on his left hand and has since been taken to an unknown location,” the organisation wrote on its Facebook page.
“We are calling on Nigerian authorities to call the police to order and halt any further physical harm to Sowore. He must be immediately given adequate medical care. Attempting to drag Sowore to a judicial process without recourse to his lawyer is a flagrant disregard for the rule of law,” the rights group stated.
Protesters Storm Force HQ
Meanwhile, protesters stormed the Force Headquarters in Abuja and the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters on Thursday, demanding the release of Sowore.
Most of the protesters, dressed in black attire, brandished the national flag and chanted anti-government songs, asking the police authorities to release him.
They alleged intimidation by an unnamed Assistant Commissioner of Police, debunking claims that they barricaded the roads.
“We are exercising our fundamental constitutional rights,” one of them claimed.
“We did not block any road; an Assistant Commissioner of Police is here to intimidate us. He came alongside a dog to attack us. We are here within the ambit of the law.”
