Sowore rejects police bail, opts for detention
Abdullateef Fowewe
The 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has claimed that he rejected a bail condition asking him to present a level 17 Permanent Secretary.
Sowore in an X (formally Twitter) post on Monday, noted that he has chosen to remain in the police den pending the time the police would be done with their interrogations.
Sowore reportedly arrived at the Force Intelligence Headquarters at 9:58 a.m., following an invitation by the police after he uploaded a viral video alleging extortion by officers at a checkpoint in Lagos.
He was summoned to address several allegations, including resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful orders, cyberstalking, and acts allegedly intended to prevent arrests.
He wrote, “I have rejected a bail condition asking me to present a level 17 Permanent Secretary, instead I have offered to remain in police custody pending when the joke is over with. #RevolutionNow.”
Meanwhile, he had earlier raised an alarm that the police are planning to detain him over his critical stance on the extension of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun’s tenure.
He remarked in a separate post on X that the police relied on “rehashed information” sourced primarily from the internet to question him, disclosing that he declined to provide a written statement during the session, arguing that the police failed to outline a specific crime.
“I have recently completed an engagement with a team from the Nigeria Police Force at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja, which they referred to as an ‘interview’.
“The police relied on a rehashed set of information sourced mostly from the internet. When I asked them to identify the location of the alleged “crime” in Lagos, they provided a vague response, stating it was along the airport road.
“I chose not to provide a written statement, as we informed the Police team that, in the absence of a defined crime, the process to determine such was unnecessary. They took a break and later informed me that they were awaiting instructions from their superiors. It seems their plan is to detain me and take me to Lagos for a kangaroo trial.
“However, I am prepared to face any consequences. I made it clear to the team that the matter revolves around my publicly stated view that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who is due for retirement and clearly tired, had his tenure extended illegally. I maintain that we are entering a promising and our fight for justice will persist. #RevolutionNow,” Sowore had written.