Police officers in Abuja today re-arrested human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, moments after he was granted bail. Sowore had earlier been detained for leading the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in what police described as a restricted area in the capital.
The court had granted bail to Sowore and twelve others, including Aloy Ejimakor, a lawyer linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id ordered each defendant to produce two sureties with N500,000, a verified national identification number, three-year tax clearance certificates, and passports.
Also Read: Protesters Demand Sowore’s Release in Abuja and Lagos
Moments after the ruling, eyewitnesses said a team of police officers reportedly manhandled Sowore before forcing him into a van and taking him away. His lawyer, Tope Temokun, who claimed to have been injured during the incident, accused the officers of acting unlawfully and assaulting those who tried to intervene.
Temokun alleged that the police team, led by CSP Iliyasu of the State Command’s Anti-Vice unit, showed “disdain for the rule of law” by forcefully removing Sowore from the court premises. He said the activist was not taken to prison but to an unknown destination, calling the act a violation of the court’s order.
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