Activist and publisher, Mr Omoyele Sowore, was on Thursday arrested by armed policemen within the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after he appeared in solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Sowore, who has consistently called for Kanu’s release, was whisked away by security operatives who insisted that he must accompany them to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command.
When questioned on the reason for his arrest, one of the officers stated that they were acting on the instruction of the Commissioner of Police, saying, “The Commissioner of Police said we should bring you to the office.”
Sowore, however, demanded to see a formal letter of invitation and insisted that his lawyer accompany him before he was eventually taken away in a police van.
Confirming the arrest on X (formerly Twitter), human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong described the development as “preposterous.”
“The arrest of Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja moments ago is preposterous.
The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system. He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans,” Effiong wrote.
This incident follows Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja, led by Sowore, which also spread to other parts of the country. During the demonstration, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor,
his brother Emmanuel Kanu, and ten others were arrested and later remanded in Kuje Prison.According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kuje, police alleged that the protest was held in defiance of a court order. The defendants were accused of chanting war songs and obstructing the free flow of traffic, actions said to amount to criminal conspiracy, incitement, and breach of public peace — offences punishable under Sections 152, 114, and 113 of the Penal Code Law.
The charge sheet read in part:
“That on the 20th day of October 2025, you (1) Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, (2) Prince Emmanuel Kanu, (3) Joshua Emmanuel, (4) Bishop Wilson Anyalewechi, (5) Barrister Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, (6) Clinton Chimeneze, (7) Gabriel Joshua, (8) Isiaka Husseini, (9) Onyekachi Ferdinand, (10) Amadi Prince, (11) Edison Ojisom, and (12) Godwill Obiama, all male adults of the FCT, Abuja, were arrested by a team of security agents at various locations within the FCT for engaging in incitement, disturbance and breach of public peace in disobedience to a court order, thereby disrupting the free movement of citizens while chanting war songs and demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who is undergoing lawful trial at the Federal High Court, in a manner that threatens national security.”
The court has fixed Friday for the defendants to take their plea.
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