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Human rights activist and convener of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, was reportedly re-arrested by the police in Abuja shortly after being granted bail by a Kuje Magistrate Court on Friday, October 24, 2025. Sowore, who has been at the forefront of protests demanding the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was said to have been violently taken away by heavily armed officers moments after regaining his temporary freedom.
According to his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, more than fifty police officers stormed the court premises and attacked Sowore before dragging him into a waiting van. Adeyanju said the police refused to present any valid arrest warrant. “More than 50 police officers violently attacked him [Omoyele Sowore] and took him again by force,” he said. “We asked to see their warrant of arrest, but they refused. One officer quickly showed a letter and immediately hid it. We couldn’t even read what was written on it.”
Adeyanju alleged that the re-arrest was connected to an alleged verbal altercation in which Sowore called the Inspector-General of Police “useless.” He also claimed that Sowore’s clothes were torn as officers manhandled him and whisked him away to Kuje Prison. Eyewitnesses at the scene confirmed that the police acted aggressively and disrupted court proceedings while trying to re-arrest him.
Sowore and several others, including Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, were arrested on October 20, 2025, during a peaceful demonstration in Abuja calling for the release of the detained IPOB leader. The protest, tagged #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, was reportedly met with heavy police presence, with officers allegedly firing tear gas and live bullets to disperse the protesters. Sowore had earlier condemned the action of the security operatives, describing the incident as a violent attempt to silence peaceful citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Following his arrest, Sowore was arraigned before a Kuje Magistrate Court alongside twelve other activists and charged with offenses bordering on unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace. After a heated court session, Magistrate Abubakar Sai’id granted them bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with two sureties domiciled in the Federal Capital Territory who must present valid identification and a three-year tax clearance certificate. The bail also required the defendants to present their passports and verified National Identification Numbers (NINs).
Sowore’s legal team had begun the process of perfecting his bail conditions when the police made their unexpected move. Lawyers and supporters at the court premises were said to have been pushed aside as officers descended on Sowore. In the chaos that followed, one of the lawyers reportedly sustained injuries, and his court attire was torn. The scene was described as chaotic and humiliating, with observers condemning the police action as a blatant show of lawlessness and disregard for judicial authority.
Another member of Sowore’s legal team, Barrister Tope Temokun, described the incident as “a show of shame and a blatant affront to the rule of law.” He accused the police of executive recklessness and said that the re-arrest of Sowore immediately after the court granted him bail was a deliberate attempt to silence dissenting voices and intimidate human rights defenders in the country. Temokun further stated that the lawyers had no idea of Sowore’s whereabouts after the arrest, raising fears about his safety and the motive behind the police operation.
The Nigerian Police Force has yet to issue an official statement explaining the re-arrest. However, reports suggest that Sowore may face fresh charges related to alleged comments made against the Inspector-General of Police and the federal government. His supporters, however, argue that the new arrest is politically motivated and designed to suppress his activism.
Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of SaharaReporters, has long been a thorn in the side of successive Nigerian governments due to his outspoken activism and pro-democracy campaigns. He was previously detained in 2019 over the #RevolutionNow protests and charged with treason and conspiracy for calling for mass action against bad governance. Despite facing multiple arrests and legal battles, Sowore has continued to be a leading voice for justice, accountability, and freedom of speech in Nigeria.
The recent crackdown on the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow movement has once again reignited debates about Nigeria’s shrinking civic space and the government’s intolerance for peaceful protest. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has remained in detention since 2021 after his controversial extradition from Kenya. His continued incarceration, despite several court rulings ordering his release, has fueled nationwide protests and calls for justice.
Many Nigerians have taken to social media to condemn Sowore’s re-arrest, describing it as another proof of the government’s disregard for human rights and judicial processes. Civil society groups and activists are calling for his immediate release, insisting that his only “offense” was demanding freedom for another political detainee. The incident has sparked renewed concern over the use of state power to suppress opposition voices, further highlighting the tense relationship between Nigerian authorities and the country’s pro-democracy activists.
#SoworeReArrest
#FreeSoworeNow
#FreeNnamdiKanuNow
#JusticeForSowore
#EndPoliceBrutality
#RuleOfLaw
#NigeriaDecides
#ActivismIsNotACrime
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