By David Akinmola
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has explained the reason behind the arrest of human rights activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, saying he was taken into custody for allegedly leading protesters into a restricted area in violation of a subsisting court order.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja.
According to Hundeyin, Sowore’s arrest followed confessional statements made by 13 individuals earlier apprehended for participating in the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest, which reportedly took place in restricted zones within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Sowore was arrested because the 13 people arrested in connection with the protest all mentioned that he led them into the restricted area, contrary to a valid court order,” Hundeyin said.
“It would be unfair to charge those individuals and leave out the person they said led them to commit the offence. In the spirit of fair play and justice, he was arrested to face the same process.”
Hundeyin said Sowore would not be detained for long, adding that the police planned to arraign him promptly once documentation and charges were concluded.
“Like the others, Sowore will not spend up to 24 hours in custody. If all goes as planned, he will be arraigned today,” he said.
The police spokesman also confirmed that 13 protesters were earlier arrested for breaching a court order restricting demonstrations in certain parts of Abuja. Eight of the suspects were apprehended near the Transcorp area, while five others were arrested close to the Ministry of Finance.
“Despite repeated warnings, they violated the order restricting movement and protests in those zones,” Hundeyin stated, adding that the suspects were arraigned in court within 24 hours of their arrest.
