Police detectives, on Wednesday, quizzed and detained the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, over alleged forgery and incitement.
According to his organisation, Take-it-Back Movement, Sowore was detained at one of the police facilities in the nation’s capital.
Sowore, had on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by his supporters, arrived at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, to honour the police invitation.
Daily Trust reports that the Force, through the Inspector-Generale Force, through the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, is investigating Sowore over what it described as ‘forgery and inciting disturbance’.
In a letter addressed to Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, on Tuesday, the Police noted that details of the petition against his client would be provided upon Sowore’s arrival at Force Headquarters.
The human rights activist was scheduled for an interview with the Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Akin Fakorede, a Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Confirming Sowore’s detention, an Abuja-based human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, described the detention as an abuse of office, while calling on the President, Bola Tinubu to relieve the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, of his appointment.
He said ‘Egbetokun has ordered the detention of Sowore for criticising his incompetent and favoritism and other numerous infractions.
‘How do you promote your personal staff arbitrarily just like that? The police Act 2020 & Regulation 367 of the Nigeria Police Regulations forbids a police officer from settling personal scores & vendetta via the instrumentalities of their offices… President Tinubu must sack him now. Egbetokun must go!’
Similarly, supporters of the activist threatened to stage a nationwide protest over the purported detention of its convener, saying they would remain undaunted.
In a statement by the National Coordinator of the Take-it-Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, the supporters condemned what they described as ‘continued harassment, intimidation and unlawful detention of human rights activist and the Convener of the RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore’, by the police.
Sanyaolu added, ‘Accordingly, the Nigerian people, students, workers, the public, and the entire membership are hereby put on notice for a nationwide protest against the continuous harassment of Sowore, and unlawful use of state institutions to suppress dissent’.
In the same vein, the AAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Femi Adeyeye, also said in a statement that they would not hesitate to occupy Nigeria if Sowore is not released.
‘We are putting all Nigerians on notice, calling on every man and woman of conscience to be ready for a mass action. We will not hesitate to occupy Police Commands across the country until Sowore is released and justice is served’, Adeyeye said.
