Sowore Regains Freedom After 48 Hour Detention Slams Police

Human rights activist and 2023 African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, walked out of police custody late Friday after spending more than two days in detention at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

His arrest on Wednesday followed an invitation from the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, with investigations linked to alleged forgery of police documents and cyber bullying.

During his time in custody, Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, accused the police of mistreating his client. He claimed the activist was moved to an undisclosed location in the early hours of Thursday, an action that allegedly caused physical injury. Sowore later appeared with a bandaged hand, saying he had been denied proper medical attention.

In a post announcing his release, Sowore described his detention as unjust and politically motivated. He also told reporters there was no legal basis for his arrest, accusing the police of staging media appearances to downplay his condition. He maintained that instead of keeping him in custody, the authorities should have released him and apologised.

The detention drew strong criticism from rights groups, political leaders and legal experts. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project called it a breach of the Nigerian constitution and international human rights laws, demanding his immediate and unconditional release. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned it as an abuse of power, while Labour Party’s Peter Obi labelled it a miscarriage of justice.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana faulted the police’s handling of the case, insisting that suspects are entitled to dignity and humane treatment under the law. He urged an investigation into the alleged torture and called for those responsible to be held accountable under the Anti-Torture Act of 2017.

Supporters staged protests across several states on Friday demanding Sowore’s freedom. Police officials, however, claimed his continued detention was due to his refusal to provide a statement during questioning.