Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has regained his freedom after spending four days in Kuje Prison, Abuja.
His release followed the fulfilment of bail conditions imposed by a Magistrate Court in Kuje.
Sowore announced his release on Monday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, writing:
“HAPPENING NOW: Leaving Kuje Prison in Abuja after being detained there illegally for four days. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow.”
The activist was detained alongside Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, as well as Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, and eleven other demonstrators.
They were arrested last week by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force during a #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
Last Friday, they were arraigned before Magistrate Abubakar Sai’id of the Kuje Magistrate Court on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
Each of the 14 defendants was granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000, with conditions that included Submission of a verified National Identification Number (NIN), Presentation of a three-year tax clearance certificate, and Deposit of their international passports.
After meeting these requirements, Sowore and the other detainees were released on Monday.
Following his release, Sowore criticized the Nigeria Police Force, describing it as an “irresponsible organisation” that habitually acts beyond its constitutional powers.
He argued that the police overstepped their legal boundaries by enforcing a court order in which they had a vested interest.
“If a court issues an order and it’s violated, you return to that court to lodge a complaint. It is not the duty of the police to enforce a court order that affects them directly,” Sowore said.
He further maintained that neither he nor the other defendants were ever served with any restraining order before their arrest.
“I can guarantee you that those court orders were never served on us. Even if they were, our courts understand there are limits you cannot cross when it concerns fundamental human rights,” he added.
