The Nigerian Police on Friday allegedly assaulted and re-arrested activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, moments after he was granted bail by the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja.
Eyewitnesses said Sowore was dragged into a waiting vehicle by police officers shortly after Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id approved bail for him and 13 others arrested during the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in the Federal Capital Territory.
According to reports, the officers, led by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), CSP Ilyasu Barau, who heads the Anti-Vice section under the DC-CID of the FCT Command, allegedly punched and manhandled the activist before forcing him into a police van.
“They punched him, dragged him on the ground, and bundled him into the van. It was brutal,” an eyewitness said.
Another source alleged that the police refused to present any remand order when requested, but instead cited a “secret remand order” before transferring Sowore to Kuje Prison despite his bail.
The magistrate had earlier granted bail to Sowore alongside 13 others, including Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu; and Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
The defendants were arraigned on charges bordering on unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.