Omoyele Sowore Arrest at the Federal High Court in Abuja sparks outrage after police detain him for supporting Nnamdi Kanu’s release

Omoyele Sowore Arrest — The Nigerian activist and publisher, Mr Omoyele Sowore, was arrested on Thursday inside the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja by armed police officers shortly after attending proceedings in solidarity with detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Also read: Unbroken conviction: Senator Husain and the test of loyalty in Nigerian politics

Sowore, a vocal critic of the government and long-time advocate for Kanu’s release, was reportedly picked up by operatives who insisted he accompany them to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

When asked for the reason behind the arrest, one officer simply stated they were acting on the orders of the Commissioner of Police.

“The Commissioner of Police said we should bring you to the office,” the officer was quoted as saying.

The activist questioned the lack of a formal invitation and maintained that his lawyer must be present before he was eventually driven away in a police van.

Confirming the incident via X (formerly Twitter), human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong condemned the arrest, describing it as “preposterous” and an affront to Nigeria’s judicial integrity.

“The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system. He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans,” Effiong wrote.

Thursday’s incident comes just days after Sowore led a #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja on October 20, which resulted in several arrests, including Kanu’s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and his brother, Emmanuel Kanu.

Those arrested were later charged at a Kuje Magistrates’ Court with criminal conspiracy, incitement, and breach of public peace.

In the police’s First Information Report, the protesters were accused of chanting war songs and disrupting traffic in defiance of a court order, actions said to threaten national security under the Penal Code.

The Omoyele Sowore Arrest has reignited debate around civil liberties and the shrinking space for peaceful protest in Nigeria.