FCT: The Nigeria Police Force has justified the transfer of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore to the Kuje Correctional Centre shortly after a magistrate granted him bail on Friday, insisting that the action was in line with a court order.
Sowore, the convener of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest, was arrested on Thursday in Abuja for alleged incitement and breach of public peace. He was arraigned alongside 12 others before the Kuje Magistrate’s Court, where they all pleaded not guilty.
The court granted Sowore bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with two sureties, but before his legal team could perfect the bail conditions, police operatives reportedly returned to the court premises and whisked him away under tight security.
Human rights campaigner Deji Adeyanju condemned the development, alleging that over 50 armed policemen stormed the court, assaulted Sowore, and forcefully took him away
Sowore had just been granted bail, and while we were conferring with him, the police suddenly launched an attack.
They showed a document they claimed was a remand order but refused to let his lawyers see it, Adeyanju told journalists.
“When we asked where they were taking him, the officer said, ‘Kuje Prison.
Adeyanju further alleged that during the confrontation, officers accused Sowore of insulting the Inspector-General of Police and vowed to deal with him.
He said Sowore’s shirt was torn in the scuffle as his lawyers continued working to meet the bail requirements.
Reacting to the backlash, Benjamin Hundeyin, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), defended the police action in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), maintaining that the officers acted strictly in accordance with the court’s remand directive.
Once a court grants a suspect bail, it clearly states that until the bail conditions are met, the suspect remains in custody.
Where the remand warrant specifies a correctional facility, not police custody, it becomes our duty to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service, Hundeyin explained.
He also shared a copy of the remand warrant on his social media handle to support his position.
Hundeyin dismissed claims of excessive force, stressing that officers are empowered to use reasonable force when enforcing lawful orders.
As law enforcement officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to achieve our mandate, he said.
Sowore’s legal team has vowed to challenge the police action, describing it as an attempt to intimidate dissenting voices.
