Tension erupted outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja on Thursday after police officers allegedly assaulted and re-arrested human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, moments after he was granted bail.
Eyewitnesses said Sowore, who had just secured bail alongside 13 others, was forcibly taken away by officers led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, the Investigating Police Officer and Officer in Charge of Anti-Vice under the FCT Command.
The officers reportedly punched and dragged the activist into a waiting van, ignoring protests from his lawyers and supporters.
“The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and forced him into the van. They really manhandled him,” one eyewitness said.
Despite the court’s decision granting bail, police officers allegedly claimed to possess a “secret remand order” but refused to show any document when confronted.
According to sources, Sowore was taken to Kuje Prison, where he was remanded despite his bail being processed.
Earlier, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id had approved bail for Sowore and 13 others arrested during the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja. Among those granted bail were Aloy Ejimakor, lawyer to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu’s brother.
The group had been charged with unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
Sowore’s re-arrest has drawn outrage online, with rights groups and civil society actors condemning what they describe as “a blatant abuse of judicial authority” and “a troubling pattern of state intimidation.”
