Sowore
Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of human rights activist and politician Omoyele Sowore for allegedly guiding protesters into a restricted zone, defying a court order.
Police spokesperson CSP Benjamin Hundeyin disclosed this during a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
“Sowore has been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force and the reason is that the 13 people that were arrested previously in connection to ‘FreeNnadiKanu’ protest gave their statements.
From the statements, every one of them mentioned that one Sowore led them into the restricted area in contravention of the court order.
So it would be most unfair to charge some people to court and leave the person that led them to commit the offence.
And that’s why, in the spirit of fair play, and to ensure that justice is served, Sowore was arrested today,” Hundeyin explained.
The police spokesman added that Sowore, like the others, will not spend more than 24 hours in custody, as he will be arraigned once the charges are finalized. “In fact, if everything goes right, our plan is to ensure that he’s arraigned today,” he said.
Hundeyin also recalled that 13 individuals were previously detained for violating the court order that restricted protests in certain parts of Abuja. Eight were arrested near the Transcorp area, while five others were taken into custody around the Ministry of Finance.
He noted that the suspects were promptly arraigned within 24 hours of their arrest.
