Latest news with #OmoyeleSowore
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Nigeria police deny say dem torture activist Omoyele Sowore
Nigeria police say dia arrest of former presidential candidate and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore no dey illegal, say dem no torture am while in detention. Dis dey come few hours afta dem release di activist afta dem detain am for two days. BBC News Pidgin bin report on Wednesday say di activist go honor police invitation, wen im reach di police headquarters, dem arrest and detain and no gree tok why dem detain for two days. For statement, police tok tok pesin Muyiwa Adejobi say dem follow all standard procedure to arrest and detain Sowore. E say di reason dem arrest di activist na based on credible allegations of cyberstalking and forgery plus oda offences wey dem dey investigate. Di statement read: "we grant am bail within di 48 hours wey dey for section 35 of di constitution. Im dey aware of di allegations against am, e go appear for court soon to answer for imsef". According to di statement, police actions on di mata dey guided by valid court order wey dem obtain. Video wey bin dey circulate online on Friday show Sowore with bandage on im hands. Posts for im social media handles claim say police attack and break im hand inside cell. Police however say di claim dey false and misleading, say di bandage bin dey di bag wey Sowore carry di day dem arrest am. E claim say wen di police IG see di trending pictures and videos online, e order investigation and send police doctors to check di activist but e no gree make di medical team attend to am. Meanwhile, Sowore enta social media early Saturday morning afta im release to tok say dem go continue dia movement, say police no get anytin on am, say dem just dey show personal vendetta on am sake of how im dey tok against dia oga. Im arrest draw attention of plenti groups, organisations and individuals including oda Nigeria presidential candidates like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi plus Amnesty International, Nigeria Labour Congress and im political party African Action Congress AAC. Dem condemn im continued arrest and harassment and demand for im release, say even if im commit any offense make dem carri am go court as law tok. Im supporters bin troop out for most police stations across di country to protest im detention. Who be Sowore Omoyele Sowore na journalist, human rights activist wey bin don follow contest for Nigeria presidential election. E don collect plenti arrest and detention over di years. Im be di RevolutionNow leader for Nigeria and Publisher of Sahara Reporters news platform. Nigeria govment bin arrest Sowore for August 2, 2019 say im commit treason. Dem later release am for 5 December afta e spend more dan 3 months for detention, only to re-arrest am inside court less dan 12 hours later. On 13 December, 2019, Attorney General of Nigeria and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami bin take ova di case of Sowore from di country Department of State Service. Den on December 24, DSS release di publisher afta oga Malami write to di DSS say make dem release am. Dis latest arrest don add to plenti of him arrest timeline.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Wetin we know as police detain activist Omoyele Sowore
Police for Nigeria don detain former presidential candidate and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. Di activist bin go honour one police invitation on Wednesday but no comot from di police station at di end of di day. Im lawyer Marshal Abubakar tell BBC News Pidgin say dem sama am allegation of criminal defamation and forgery of police document. According to am, police show dem two petitions against Sowore, say one of di petitions, na police write am. E say dem dey give di authorities 24 hours to release Sowore or dem go enta court to go resolve di mata. Police authorities never respond to BBC News Pidgin requests. Police tok tok pesin Muyiwa Adejobi no pick im calls nor respond to messages wey we send to im phone. Videos wey trend on social media on Tuesday show wia Sowore wit im lawyer and supporters dey waka go police station for Abuja. E carry bag and claim say wetin dey inside na im personal effects like soap, toothbrush and clothes incase dem decide to detain am. Meanwhile Amnesty International don call for di immediate release of di activist. For inside statement, dem condemn di arrest and detention of Sowore and demand make di authorities release am and drop all "bogus and politically motivated allegations" against am. Sowore political party African Action Congress AAC describe di arrest and detention as attack on democracy and abuse of power by di authorities. Dem dey call for mass protest across Nigeria until dem release Sowore. Oda groups wey don chook mouth for di matter include Coalition of United Political Parties CUPP and Arewa youths. For separate statements on Thursday, dem describe di detention as infringement of di activist fundamental human rights wey di Nigeria constitution dey protect. According to dem, Nigeria Police don turn to weapon wey oppressors dey use oppress dia enemies. Di Arewa Youths say dem dey give di authorities 72 hours to release di activist or dem go begin protests across di 19 northern states of Nigeria. Some of Sowore supporters bin stage brief protest in front of di police station wia dem detain am yesterday. One of im lawyers notify BBC say by 6:00am Thursday morning, dem sight Sowore as a team of police officers whisk am away from di cell wia im bin dey, carry am go SARS office. Who be Sowore Omoyele Sowore na journalist, human rights activist wey bin don follow contest for Nigeria presidential election. E don collect plenti arrest and detention over di years. Im be di RevolutionNow leader for Nigeria and Publisher of Sahara Reporters news platform. Nigeria govment bin arrest Sowore for August 2, 2019 say im commit treason. Dem later release am for 5 December afta e spend more dan 3 months for detention, only to re-arrest am inside court less dan 12 hours later. On 13 December, 2019, Attorney General of Nigeria and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami bin take ova di case of Sowore from di country Department of State Service. Den on December 24, DSS release di publisher afta oga Malami write to di DSS say make dem release am.
