Police Violently Re-Arrest Sowore For Calling IGP ‘Useless’ After Court Granted Him Bail [Video]

Nigeria Police Force has rearrested human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja, just moments after the court had granted him bail.

The incident happened on Friday shortly after Magistrate Abubakar Sai’id approved bail for Sowore and 12 others who had been detained following Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.

According to eyewitnesses, police officers, led by Investigating Officer Ilyasu Barau from the FCT Command’s Anti-Vice Unit, seized Sowore while his lawyers were still processing his bail papers.

“They dragged him on the ground and pushed him into a van,” one witness said, adding that the officers refused to present any remand order when asked.

Lawyers and supporters at the scene accused the police of defying the magistrate’s ruling, claiming the officers cited a “secret remand order” that was never mentioned in court.

“There was no remand order issued when bail was granted,,” another eyewitness said.

Some lawyers who tried to intervene were reportedly pushed aside by the police.

Sowore’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, also confirmed that over 50 officers stormed the court premises and violently took his client away.

“More than 50 police officers violently attacked him [Omoyele Sowore] and took him again by force,” he stated.

“When we asked for the remand order they claimed to have, they refused to show any document.”

He added that when the legal team demanded to see a warrant, one officer briefly showed a letter before quickly hiding it again.

“We couldn’t even read what was written on it,” the lawyer said.

Adeyanju further revealed that the officers accused Sowore of insulting the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) by allegedly calling him “useless,” which they claimed led to the rearrest.

Watch the video below:

The incident happened just after the court granted bail to Omoyele Sowore, Aloy Ejimakor, Emmanuel Kanu and eleven others arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.