The Nigeria Police Force has clarified the circumstances surrounding the transfer of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to Kuje Prison shortly after he was granted bail by a Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday.
Sowore was arrested by the police on Thursday on allegations bordering on incitement and breach of public peace, following his participation in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja earlier in the week.
He was arraigned on Friday before the Kuje Magistrate Court alongside 12 others and pleaded not guilty to all charges. The court granted him bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with two sureties. However, before his legal team could complete the bail process, the police reportedly whisked him away from the court premises.
Eyewitnesses and fellow activists described the scene as chaotic. Human rights advocate Deji Adeyanju, who was present during the incident, alleged that more than 50 armed officers stormed the court premises and forcefully took Sowore away without presenting a valid remand order.
“Sowore had just been granted bail, and while we were conferring with him here, the police suddenly launched an attack. More than 50 officers violently descended on him and took him away by force. We don’t even know where they have taken him,” Adeyanju told journalists.
He added that the officer who led the operation briefly showed what appeared to be a remand order but refused to let Sowore’s legal representatives verify it.
“The officer flashed the document, and when we insisted on reviewing it, he pocketed it and ordered that they must go. When we asked where they were taking him, he said Kuje Prison. We demanded to see the remand order as endorsed by the court, but he refused,” Adeyanju stated.
Adeyanju further alleged that during the scuffle, the police accused Sowore of insulting the Inspector General of Police, claiming, “Because Sowore called the IG useless, they must deal with him.”
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He also said Sowore’s clothes were torn as officers dragged him away while his legal team was still processing his bail.
However, reacting to the growing public criticism, the Nigeria Police Force defended its actions, insisting that the transfer of Sowore to Kuje Correctional Centre was carried out in accordance with the law.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, explained that since Sowore’s bail conditions had not yet been perfected, it was the duty of the police to ensure his lawful remand as directed by the court.
Hundeyin, who also attached a copy of the remand warrant to his post, wrote:
“Except we want to be mischievous, we all know that once court grants a suspect bail, it comes with the caveat that until the bail conditions are met, the suspect remains in custody. Where it is clearly spelt out on the remand warrant that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility, not police custody, it is the duty of the police to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service, who would then process his bail conditions.”
He added that the procedure followed in Sowore’s case was not unusual, noting, “This has always been the practice. Why should this be different? Also, as law enforcement officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to get our mandate achieved.”
As of press time, Sowore’s legal team continued efforts to perfect his bail, while human rights groups have condemned the manner of his transfer, calling it another example of the government’s intolerance toward peaceful activism.