‘Shameful abuse of power’ — Atiku slams police over Sowore’s detention

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over the continued detention of Omoyele Sowore, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters.

On Wednesday, Sowore arrived at the NPF headquarters in Abuja to honour an invitation from the inspector-general of police (IGP) monitoring unit over a petition.

He arrived at the force headquarters with his lawyers and some activists, including members of the ‘Take It Back Movement’.

However, he was taken into custody and remained detained as of Wednesday.

Earlier on Thursday, the publisher of Sahara Reporters accused the police of breaking his arm while in detention.

Reacting to the development in a post via his X page, Abubakar described Sowore’s handling by the IGP monitoring team as a “shameful abuse of power.”

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the incident must be condemned by anyone who believes in justice.

“The treatment of Omoyele Sowore by the IGP Monitoring Team is a shameful abuse of power. It is wrong, unlawful, and must be condemned by all who believe in justice,” the post reads.

“Sowore’s only offence is speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule. For that, he was reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.

“This is personal vendetta, not policing.

“Even the Nigeria Police Regulation forbids this. Regulation 367 states: No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.”

Abubakar said it was wrong for Kayode Egbetokun, the IGP, to act as “both a complainant and the person deploying police personnel to enforce his own grievance”.

He also demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, saying the situation must not be allowed to continue.

Sowore has been at loggerheads with police authorities in recent months, following his criticism of the tenure extension of the IGP and the poor welfare of retired police officers.