The Nigeria Police Force has explained why human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was arrested.
According to the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, Sowore was taken into custody for allegedly leading protesters into a restricted area in Abuja, violating a court order.
Hundeyin made this known during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday. He said,
“Sowore was arrested because 13 people earlier detained during the Free Nnamdi Kanu protest mentioned in their statements that he led them into the restricted area, despite the court ban on protests there.”
He added that it would be unfair to charge the 13 protesters without also arresting the person who allegedly led them.
“In the spirit of fairness and justice, we arrested Sowore today. He won’t stay long in custody.
We plan to charge him to court as soon as possible, maybe even today,” Hundeyin said.
The police spokesman also confirmed that 13 protesters were earlier arrested for disobeying the court order that banned demonstrations in certain parts of Abuja.
Eight of them were caught near Transcorp area, while five others were picked up around the Ministry of Finance.
He noted that all of them were arraigned in court within 24 hours of their arrest.