Chaos broke out outside a magistrate court in Kuje, Abuja, on Friday after police officers punched and dragged human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore into a waiting vehicle, moments after the court granted him bail, witnesses said.
Sowore, along with 13 others, had been granted bail by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id following their arraignment on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace linked to the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said police officers, led by CSP Ilyasu Barau of the FCT Command, assaulted Sowore as he resisted attempts to be taken away without explanation. “They punched and dragged him before forcing him into the van,” one witness said.
Lawyers at the scene said police refused to show any remand order but claimed to be acting on a secret directive authorising Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre, despite the bail ruling.
The court had granted the defendants bail of ₦500,000 each, requiring a verified National Identification Number, three-year tax clearance, and submission of their passports.
Sowore, a pro-democracy activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, was arrested Thursday after leaving the Federal High Court in Abuja.
His detention drew condemnation from civil society groups accusing authorities of undermining judicial independence and targeting dissent.