The top opposition leader in Nigeria and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Pete Obi has condemned the arrest and detention of Omoyele Sowore, the Publisher of online newspaper Sahara Reporters.
Obi condemned the arrest in a statement he shared on his X handle on Friday, saying its’ wrong on the part of the Nigerian Police Forces, NPF, to arrest the rights activist after he voluntarily surrendered himself to the police.
The magazine reported that Sowore had on Wednesday accused the police of sending some operatives to brutalize him in the police cell where he was kept in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
During the incident, Sowore alleged that the policemen who attacked him broke his arm, and took him to an undisclosed location.
Not a few Nigerians have trenchantly criticised the alleged act of the policemen, they also called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to reign in his men, and explained to the publci what actually happened to Sowore by investigating the alleged assault.
Recating, Obi said many Nigerians have lost confidence in the police, that they should rove their critics wrong by charging Sowre to court, which is the right thing to do.
in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has expressed displeasure over the arrest of Omoyele Sowore by the Nigerian Police Force.
Obi, in a post on Friday, urged the police to immediately release Sowore or charge him in court, citing concerns over the potential erosion of public confidence in institutions.
According to Obi, Sowore’s arrest is a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of state power, particularly since he voluntarily presented himself for questioning.
Obi said, “I was deeply disturbed to learn of the arrest of Mr Omoyele Sowore… shortly after he voluntarily honoured an invitation by the Nigerian Police Force.
“At the time of writing, no clear or credible charges have been made public, which further casts a troubling shadow over the nature and motivation behind his detention.
“To detain a citizen who came of his own accord, without the public disclosure of clear, lawful charges, is not only a miscarriage of justice but an abuse of state power.
“Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens.”
Obi “call on the Nigerian Police to immediately release Omoyele Sowore or charge him formally under the law. Anything short of this would be a further erosion of public trust in the nation’s law enforcement institutions.”
Meanwhile, the police while reacting to his detention said they had to detain him becasue of his refusal to write a statement.
The magazine reports that Sowore, who recently led a protest of retired policemen against NPF management in Abuja, was invited by the police two weeks ago after a petition was written against him.
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