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By John Ogunsemore
Amnesty International has condemned the detention of human rights activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, describing it as arbitrary.
On Wednesday, the police detained the convener of Take It Back Movement after he stormed the Force Headquarters in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory in company of his supporters to honour an invitation.
The NPF, through the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, is investigating the Publisher of Sahara Reporters over alleged “forgery and inciting disturbance”.
In a statement shared on social media, Amnesty said Sowore had been facing ongoing harassment and intimidation by the Nigeria Police.
The statement reads, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Sowore and drop all bogus and politically motivated charges against him.
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“The authorities should listen to critics instead of seeking to gag them through outright abuse of power.
“Nigerian authorities must allow Sowore to freely exercise his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Apart from putting him through sham trials based on bogus charges, Sowore has been subjected to series of human rights violations.
“Since 2019, Sowore has been facing arbitrary detentions and unfair trials solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.”
In November 2019, Amnesty International declared Sowore a Prisoner of Conscience after being arbitrarily detained for his peaceful activism.
“The case of Sowore shows just how far the authorities in Nigeria can go to silence peaceful dissent,” the rights group further stated.
