In a stunning disregard for the judicial process, prominent Nigerian activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore was reportedly assaulted and re-arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force moments after a Magistrate Court in Kuje, Abuja, had granted him bail.
Dependable NG reports that the incident took place on Friday, October 24, 2025, right outside the courthouse. Sowore and 13 others, including Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, had just been granted bail by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id following their arraignment on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace related to the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.
Eyewitnesses recounted a brutal scene, stating that police officers intercepted Sowore as his legal team was trying to perfect his bail conditions. According to the accounts, a team of officers, led by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), CSP Ilyasu Barau, who is the Officer in Charge of Anti-Vice under the DC-CID of the FCT Command, allegedly launched an attack. The activist was reportedly punched, dragged on the ground, and forcefully shoved into a waiting police vehicle.
One source described the scene: “The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and forced him into the van. They really manhandled him.” Witnesses further stated that when questioned about the blatant violation of the court’s order, the officers refused to show any documentation, claiming to be acting on a ‘secret remand order.’
Despite the magistrate’s ruling, the police subsequently took Sowore away to Kuje Prison, citing this purported secret order. This development is already sparking intense public debate and drawing sharp criticism from civil society organisations and human rights advocates, who view the action as a brazen contempt of court and a continuous pattern of suppression against dissenting voices in the country. The charges against the defendants stemmed from their peaceful demonstration calling for the release of the detained IPOB leader.
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