ABUJA, Nigeria – In a move condemned by his legal team as a “mockery of the rule of law,” Nigerian authorities have rearrested former presidential candidate and prominent activist Omoyele Sowore just hours after a magistrate court granted him bail.
The incident unfolded on Monday, following a protest on October 20th where Sowore and a dozen other individuals were taken into custody. The demonstration was organized to challenge the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for the secession of the Biafran region.
Earlier in the day, the magistrate court had approved bail for the entire group of protestors, which included Sowore and Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the brother of the detained IPOB leader. However, freedom was short-lived.
A statement from Sowore’s legal representatives confirmed that he was seized by police personnel shortly after fulfilling the bail conditions and exiting the court’s premises. The circumstances of the rearrest were not immediately clear, but it has sparked immediate outrage and accusations of governmental overreach.
“This rearrest is a mockery of the rule of law and a flagrant violation of his fundamental rights,” his lawyers stated. They argued that the action undermines the authority of the court and demonstrates a disregard for due process.
The initial arrest on October 20 targeted dissenting voices protesting the government’s handling of Nnamdi Kanu’s case. Kanu has been in government custody for years, facing charges of treason and terrorism, which his supporters and some international observers deem politically motivated.
The rearrest of Sowore, a well-known journalist and pro-democracy campaigner who ran for president in the 2023 elections, is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Nigerian government’s approach to dissent and its adherence to judicial rulings. As of now, the police have not issued a public statement regarding the reasons for his re-arrest.
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