Human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, was arrested on Thursday outside the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he had appeared for both the terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), and a separate criminal case filed against himself by the police. The arrest, carried out by a team of police officers, was swiftly condemned by various human rights organizations and legal experts, who described it as a flagrant disregard for the rule of law and an attempt to stifle dissent.

According to the Nigeria Police Force, the arrest stemmed from Sowore's alleged leadership of a #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja on Monday. Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that Sowore led a group of protesters into a restricted area, violating a subsisting Federal High Court order that prohibits demonstrations around sensitive government buildings. Hundeyin emphasized that the arrest was necessary to ensure fairness, as 12-13 other individuals, including Kanu’s lawyer Aloy Ejimakor and his brother Emmanuel Kanu, had previously been arrested and implicated Sowore as their leader during questioning. He assured that Sowore would not be detained beyond the legally permitted time and would be promptly arraigned.

The Monday protest, which called for Nnamdi Kanu’s unconditional release from custody, began near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. It reportedly turned chaotic when security personnel, including police and soldiers, deployed teargas and fired gunshots into the air to disperse demonstrators. Despite the peaceful intent rallied by Sowore on his X account, where he encouraged civil action with messages like “Carry a sign, sing a song, make a statement!”, the police actions led to arrests and minor injuries among traders and passersby as shops were hastily shut down. Police defended their actions by citing the court order restricting protests in areas like the Three Arms Zone, which houses critical government institutions.

Sowore, who frequently attends Kanu’s trials, was at the Federal High Court on Thursday for a hearing in one of the multiple criminal cases filed against him by the police and the State Security Service (SSS) this year. These charges, which he has described as “bogus and farcical,” include allegations of forging a police wireless message and cyberbullying the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and his Personal Staff Officer (PSO), Yemisi Kuti, over a police promotion scandal. Sowore has consistently maintained that these cases are politically motivated, linked to his criticism of the police leadership, and an attempt to silence him.

During his arrest, Sowore was seen questioning officers about the reason for his detention before voluntarily entering the police vehicle. His legal team, led by prominent human rights lawyer Tope Temokun, confronted the officers, demanding to know the basis of the arrest. Temokun later accused the police of deceiving Sowore into detention at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office after falsely claiming they were taking him to meet the Inspector-General of Police. Another lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, reported being denied access to Sowore at the FCT Police Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before eventually seeing him.

The arrest has triggered a wave of condemnation. Amnesty International strongly denounced the arbitrary detention, linking it to a broader pattern of the Nigerian government’s disregard for human rights and the demonization of peaceful assembly. The global rights body called for Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to cease using state institutions to persecute critics. Similarly, the Take It Back Movement (TIB), a civic group aligned with Sowore, condemned the arrest as “an attack on every Nigerian who refuses to be silenced by oppression” and threatened nationwide mass action if he is not released immediately. Legal experts and human rights lawyers, including Inibehe Effiong, have also criticized the arrest, questioning its legality and accusing the authorities of making a mockery of the judicial system and criminalizing dissent under the guise of cybercrime laws. Sowore’s long history of confrontations with security agencies since his 2019 #RevolutionNow protests underscores persistent concerns about press freedom and civic space in Nigeria.