Dare Babalola
There was a mild drama outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday when police officers allegedly dragged Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate, into a vehicle despite the court granting him bail.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters on Friday, sources present in court said the incident occurred moments after the magistrate granted bail to Sowore and 13 others.
The media house said police officers, led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, suddenly attacked Sowore, punching and dragging him into a waiting van while his lawyers were still processing his bail papers.
According to witnesses who spoke to Sahara Reporters, Sowore was assaulted as he resisted attempts by the officers to take him away without a proper explanation.
“The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and pushed him violently into the van. They really manhandled him.
“When we demanded to see the remand order they claimed to have obtained from the court, the officer refused to produce any document.
“Police forcefully took Sowore to prison despite the bail granted to him. They cited a secret remand order,” a witness disclosed, claiming that the police officers also attacked lawyers.
The officers reportedly claimed that they were acting on a remand order, authorising Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre.
Witnesses accused the police of disregarding the court’s bail ruling and attempting to detain him under questionable circumstances secretly.
“Meanwhile, the magistrate granted bail, and there was no mention of any remand order,” one of the eyewitnesses said.
Earlier on Friday, the magistrate court granted bail to Sowore and others detained over the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
Others are Aloy Ejimakor, counsel for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu; his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 11 others.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’I’d issued the bail order after the defendants were arraigned on charges bordering on unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
According to the ruling, the court granted Sowore and the other protesters bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, subject to the condition that they present a verified National Identification Number (NIN).
The magistrate also directed the defendants to present their three-year tax clearance certificates and submit their passports as part of the bail conditions.
Sowore was arrested on Thursday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja.
His arrest, which was captured in videos that circulated online, drew widespread criticism from civil society organisations and human rights groups who described it as another attempt to suppress dissent and silence activism.
