Omoyele Sowore, a prominent human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, arrived at the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters in Abuja carrying a travel bag, bar soap, and other personal essentials—signaling preparedness for possible detention.
This development follows a formal invitation by the police. In a letter dated August 5, the Force had summoned Sowore for questioning in connection with a petition reportedly accusing him of forgery and criminal defamation.
Prior to his appearance, Sowore had written to the police through his legal team, requesting access to the contents of the petition and the identity of the complainant. He sought transparency, insisting that he be allowed to review the allegations against him before submitting himself for questioning.
However, in its reply, the Monitoring Unit of the police insisted that Sowore must appear in person before any details of the petition would be disclosed. They stated that only upon his physical presence at the station would the petition be made available for discussion.
In a bold statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday morning, Sowore announced that his visit to the police headquarters marks the beginning of the #EgbetokunMustGo campaign and a wider #PoliceProtest movement. The campaigns aim to call attention to what he describes as systemic abuses, impunity, and leadership failure within the Nigeria Police Force under the current Inspector General, Kayode Egbetokun.
Outside the police facility, tension began to rise as his supporters gathered in protest, demanding his immediate release. They issued a two-hour ultimatum to the police authorities, warning that failure to release him would result in mass action and sustained demonstrations nationwide.
As of press time, civil rights groups and various student organizations had also begun issuing statements in solidarity with Sowore, denouncing what they termed “a continued pattern of harassment” against activists and dissenting voices in Nigeria.
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