Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the arrest and alleged brutalisation of activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Team, describing the incident as a “shameful abuse of power.”
In a statement shared via his social media pages on Thursday, Atiku said Sowore’s only offence was speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule.
News360 info reports that Sowore was reportedly detained on Wednesday after honouring an invitation from the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit.
His lawyer, Tope Temokun, in a statement on Thursday, accused the Nigeria Police Force of inhumane treatment and alleged that the activist was relocated to an undisclosed location in the early hours of Thursday under circumstances that resulted in physical injury.
Reacting, Atiku said, “This is not policing; it is persecution. The IGP cannot be both a complainant and the force behind the arrest.”
The former Vice President questioned the legality and motive behind the police action.
Referencing Nigeria Police Regulation 367, Atiku reminded the authorities that: “No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.”
He argued that the Inspector-General of Police acting as both complainant and arresting authority amounted to a conflict of interest and gross abuse of institutional power.
Calling for Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, Atiku described the police action as an attack on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
“This must stop,” the former Vice President declared.
News360 Info reports that Sowore, a known critic of successive governments and publisher of SaharaReporters, has faced repeated arrests and legal battles since his 2019 presidential bid under the African Action Congress (AAC).
Civil society groups and rights advocates have also joined calls for his release, citing a worrying trend of clampdowns on dissent and press freedom in Nigeria.
