A civil society organisation, Centre for Change, has condemned what it described as the alleged unlawful re-arrest of a political activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, by the police shortly after he was granted bail by a Magistrate Court in Abuja.
The group described the police action as “undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of the rule of law.”
In a statement signed by its President, Joe Okei-Odumakin, and made available to Sunday PUNCH, the organisation said the police acted beyond their powers by taking Sowore into custody instead of allowing the Nigerian Correctional Service to handle the matter in line with due process.
The statement, titled “Police Whisking of Omoyele Sowore from Magistrate Court, Abuja after Being Granted Bail: Unlawful, Undemocratic,” read, “Our attention has been drawn to the drama that the Nigeria Police Force staged at the Magistrate Court shortly after Comrade Omoyele Sowore was granted bail.
“One would have expected that the Nigeria Correctional Service would take custody of a defendant who fails to perfect his or her bail. But to our greatest surprise, the police usurped such a constitutional responsibility.
It is the most irresponsible and unlawful act of a law enforcement agency.”
The organisation noted that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee every citizen’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
It called on the Federal Government to respect the rule of law and comply with the court’s decision by releasing Sowore and other protesters arrested during the recent demonstrations.
“Democratic governance in Nigeria was birthed with the blood of innocent citizens and patriots, whose blood continues to seek justice, deepening democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.
“There is no democracy without the right of dissenting voices, as protest is never a crime. There is a rise in human rights violations in Nigeria, and this is antithetical to democratic governance,” the statement added.
