Armed policemen have taken into their custody former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore shortly after he made an appearance for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, at the federal high court in Abuja.
Sowore, a frontline agitator for Kanu’s release from detention, was on Thursday accosted by security operatives who insisted he accompany them to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command.
Asked what his offence was, one of the officers explained that they were executing an order from the Commissioner of Police.
“The commissioner of police said we should bring you to the office,” the officer added.
Even though he queried the absence of a letter of invitation to him, Sowore, who maintained that his lawyer must accompany him, was taken away in a police van.
The Guardian reported that Sowore was on Monday part of the #FreeNnamdiKanu campaign pressing for Kanu’s release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where he has been held since June 2021.
The protest, which began around the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Maitama, at about 7:00 a.m., turned chaotic when security personnel opened fire and deployed teargas to disperse the demonstrators.
Protesters regrouped near Utako Market, but the police and soldiers followed with more rounds of teargas and gunfire into the air, forcing traders and passersby to flee.
Shops, offices and business outlets in the area were hurriedly shut down as the air filled with teargas. Some traders sustained minor injuries while attempting to escape.
Security operatives, including soldiers, police and Department of State Services (DSS) personnel, mounted barricades at major roads, restricting access to the Three Arms Zone, which houses the Presidency, National Assembly and Supreme Court.
Police authorities, however, defended their action, citing a subsisting Federal High Court order restricting demonstrations around sensitive government buildings, including the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
Police authorities, however, defended their action, citing a subsisting Federal High Court order restricting demonstrations around sensitive government buildings, including the Presidential Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square, and Shehu Shagari Way.
He dismissed claims that the police blocked major roads, explaining that officers only cleared routes earlier obstructed by the demonstrators to ensure free movement for other citizens.
Hundeyin said eight people were arrested, including Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother and his lawyer, for insisting on entering the restricted zone despite repeated warnings.
