Protest erupted in Abuja, lagos over Sowore’s detention

The protesters on Friday gathered at the headquarters of the troops in Abuja and the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja, demanding an immediate release of Human Rights activists Omoyle Sowore.

Wearing black and waving the Nigerian flag, the demonstrators of screaming anti-government songs, accused the police intimidation. They denied the report that they had prevented traffic, insisting their actions were within legal limits.

“We use our fundamental constitutional rights,” a protester told journalists in Abuja. “We did not block any road. The Assistant Commissioner of the Police came here with a dog to intimidate us. Let it be noted that we are here in the law ambition.”

In Lagos, the protest began at around 10:00 in the morning outside the command headquarters, with participants vowing to return every day until Sowore regained their freedom. During the press, no senior police officer spoke to many people.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate and a Sahara journalist, was invited by the Nigerian police to the headquarters of the troops in Abuja on Wednesday for asking the accusation of “forgery and disturbance,” as investigated by the Inspector General of the Police Monitoring Unit.

However, he was reportedly detained on Thursday, triggering widespread criticism from groups of rights and civil society. The police came under further criticism after the accusation that officers broke Sowore’s hand while trying to move him by force from detention to court in the early days of Thursday.

Amnesty International, in a statement on Friday, accused that Sowore was the target of violence by the officers of the Intelligence Department of Troops in Abuja around 6:00 in the morning the organization described the incident as a bright violation of human rights and legal proceedings.

“Amnesty International has just received a very disturbing report about the violence efforts by the police to forcefully drag activists Omoyle Sowore from his cell to court at 6:00 in the morning as a result, he suffered a severe injury in his left hand and since then was taken to an unknown location,” wrote the group on his official page.

The Rights Agency demands direct and unconditional release of sowore, calling for Nigerian authority to ensure that he receives medical treatment and drops what is described as “False accusations and political motivation.”

“The authorities must listen to critics instead of trying to make them directly through the abuse of power,” said Amnesty International.