Activist Sowore Arrested in Abuja After #FreeNnamdiKanu Protest

Prominent human‑rights activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore was taken into custody on Thursday in Abuja, following his involvement in the recent #FreeNnamdiKanu protest which called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The arrest occurred shortly after Sowore appeared at the Federal High Court premises. According to the Nigeria Police Force, the reason for the arrest was that several of the previously detained protesters stated in their witness statements that Sowore had led them into a restricted area in Abuja, in contravention of a court‑order that forbade demonstrations in certain sensitive locations. The police public relations officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, explained that it would have been unfair to prosecute the others charged without also bringing in the person alleged to have led the breach of the order. He affirmed that Sowore would be arraigned as soon as investigations were completed.