Sowore Re-arrested  Outside Abuja Court

By Ayodele Oni

The bail granted Activist Omoyele Sowore by the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday was shortlived as police officers re-arrested him.

Eyewitnesses said Sowore was punched and dragged into a waiting police van by officers led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Vice Section, DC-CID, FCT Command.

The incident reportedly occurred while his legal team was processing his bail conditions.

Eye witness account recollects that “The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and pushed him violently into the van. When we demanded to see a remand order, they refused to produce any document.”

Sowore and 13 others had earlier been granted bail by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id in the sum of ₦500,000 each. The court also ordered them to present a verified National Identification Number (NIN), three-year tax clearance certificates, and submit their passports.

The defendants, including Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace following their participation in the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.

Despite the court order, witnesses alleged that the police ignored the ruling and whisked Sowore away, citing what they called a “secret remand order.”