Police defends transfer of Sowore to Kuje prison after bail

The Nigeria Police Force has defended its decision to transfer Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, to the Kuje Correctional Centre shortly after he was granted bail by a Kuje Magistrate’s Court in Abuja on Friday.

Sowore was arrested on Thursday by police operatives on charges bordering on incitement and breach of public peace.

His arrest was linked to the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest he organised in Abuja on Monday, despite repeated warnings from the authorities.

He was arraigned alongside 12 others before a Kuje Magistrate’s Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court later granted him bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with two sureties.

However, while his legal team was still working to perfect the bail conditions, heavily armed policemen reportedly stormed the court premises and took him away.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights activist, accused the police of brutality, saying over 50 armed officers invaded the court, beat Sowore, and whisked him away without properly presenting a remand order.

“Sowore had just been granted bail, and while we were conferring with him, the police suddenly launched an attack.
Over 50 officers descended on him and took him away by force. The officer leading the team flashed a document he called a remand order but refused to let Sowore’s lawyers inspect it. When we demanded to know where they were taking him, he said Kuje Prison,” Adeyanju told journalists.

Adeyanju further alleged that during the scuffle, police officers accused Sowore of “insulting the Inspector-General of Police” and vowed to deal with him.

According to him, Sowore’s shirt was torn as he was dragged away, while his legal team continued working to finalise his bail paperwork.

However, reacting to the outcry, Benjamin Hundeyin, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), in a statement shared on X, insisted that the police acted lawfully.

Hundeyin, who attached a copy of the remand warrant to his post, explained that the police were merely enforcing a court directive.

Read also: Sowore was arrested for leading Abuja protest despite court order – Police

“Except we want to be mischievous, we all know that once a court grants a suspect bail, it comes with the caveat that until the bail conditions are met, the suspect remains in custody.

“Where it is clearly spelt out on the remand warrant that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility, not police custody, it is the duty of the police to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service, who would then process his bail conditions. This has always been the practice. Why should this be different?” Hundeyin wrote.

The police spokesperson also defended the use of force during the operation, stressing that officers are legally empowered to employ commensurate force when carrying out their duties or enforcing court orders.

“As law enforcement officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to get our mandate achieved,” Hundeyin added.