Omoyele Sowore, a prominent human rights advocate and founder of Sahara Reporters, has raised serious allegations of police brutality, wrongful detention, and harassment following his recent arrest and subsequent release by the Nigeria Police Force.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Sowore, seen with an arm in a sling, accused the police of injuring him during his time in custody, alleging that his arm was broken. Sowore, known for his staunch stance on government accountability, vehemently denied claims that he had a personal vendetta against the Nigeria Police.
“I don’t have a personal vendetta against the police,” Sowore clarified. “Just a week before my arrest, I was at the police headquarters advocating for better pensions and salaries for officers, both serving and retired.”
Sowore, who was invited to answer questions regarding allegations of forgery and cyberstalking, revealed that he was not shown the full details of the accusations until much later. He specifically pointed to the forgery claim, which he argued was baseless. “They claimed I forged a police wireless message, but when we compared the documents, the only difference was the word ‘PANIC’ written in red ink,” Sowore explained.
The second accusation stemmed from a false report that Sahara Reporters, the media platform he founded, published a story alleging that a senior police officer was the mistress of the Inspector General of Police. Sowore responded, stating that Sahara Reporters is a legal entity independent of him, and any grievances should have been directed at the organization rather than him personally.
In his interview, Sowore also shared disturbing accounts of the physical abuse he suffered while in police custody, stating that he was “roughhandled and tortured” by the police at 6 a.m. last Thursday. Other detainees reportedly witnessed the abuse, further compounding the allegations of police misconduct.
Sowore added that the police struggled to substantiate their claims against him. Initially, they lacked a solid case, prompting the police to bring in additional legal teams to draft more petitions while he remained in detention. “They were just fishing,” he remarked. “Trying to find something to stick because their original allegations weren’t holding up.”
As a vocal critic of government corruption, impunity, and abuse of power, Sowore explained that his activism has made him a constant target for state harassment. “They always link me to cybercrime because I’m a digital citizen. Some think I post everything critical of the government online,” he said.
Moreover, Sowore disclosed that his passport has been confiscated by the police since January after he publicly criticized the Inspector General of Police, calling him “illegal,” which led to a previous arrest.
Following his release, within the 48-hour window stipulated by Nigeria’s constitution, Sowore filed for a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the police. He further revealed that new charges had been brought against him, though none of them were related to the original accusations.
“This is about silencing me,” he asserted. “But I won’t stop fighting against injustice.”
