ABUJA — The Nigeria Police Force has justified its decision to transfer activist Omoyele Sowore to Kuje Prison on Friday, moments after he was granted bail by a Kuje Magistrate Court. The move sparked a chaotic scene, with fellow activists accusing the police of using excessive force.
Sowore had been arrested on Thursday and was arraigned Friday alongside 12 others on charges of incitement and breach of public peace, to which he pleaded not guilty. The charges stemmed from his organization of a #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest earlier in the week.
The court granted Sowore bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties. The incident occurred while his legal team was working to perfect these bail conditions.
Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, who was at the scene, accused the police of a “violent attack.” He alleged that more than 50 armed officers “violently descended on him (Sowore) and took him away by force” while he was conferring with his lawyers.
Adeyanju claimed an officer briefly “flashed” a document purported to be a remand order but refused to allow the legal team to inspect it.
“When we asked where they were taking him, he said Kuje Prison,” Adeyanju stated, alleging that officers tore Sowore’s shirt and said they must “deal with him” for “insulting the IG.”
Responding to the allegations on X (formerly Twitter), Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin stated that the police acted within the law.
Hundeyin explained that a suspect remains in custody until bail conditions are met. He attached a copy of the remand warrant to his post, which specified Sowore be held in a correctional facility.
“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,” Hundeyin wrote.
Addressing the claims of violence, the Force PRO added: “As law enforcement officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to get our mandate achieved.”
Share On:
CLICK HERE TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC/VIDEO