Human rights activist and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has said there is no basis for his arrest and detention by the Nigeria Police Force.
Sowore spoke from detention on Friday when the police led some protesters and the press to meet with the activist in the police custody at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
He said contrary to the impression from the police that he was doing fine in custody, his hand had been broken.
Sowore, who had a bandage on one of his hands, said, “I’ve been expecting this nonsense from them since I was brought here yesterday morning by 6am. They came here and I know that the next thing they will do is to try and bring the press to create the impression that I’m doing fine.”
The Commissioner of Police in charge of Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle, had earlier told protesters on Friday that Sowore was not being brutalised by the police.
According to him, the activist was being detained following his alleged refusal to make a statement.
Supporters of Sowore are staging protests in Lagos, Abuja, Oyo and Osun states to demand the release of the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
“There is no basis for my arrest in the first place. There is no basis for any citizen in Nigeria to be arrested by the IGP because the IGP feels threatened by the legality of opposition,” Sowore said in a live stream shared by Sahara Reporters on Facebook.
“I just want you to know that all these are unnecessary.
“What should have been done (by the police) is to swallow their pride, release me from detention, apologise to me and ensure that I can go for proper treatment, but they want to hide it.
“Since I came here yesterday, they broke my hand, they have not been able to bring a doctor, they brought a nurse.
“Instead of bringing the doctor, they went and brought the media. I was expecting it,” he lamented.
Sowore on Wednesday honoured the invitation by the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit in Abuja and has been detained since then.
The police said they were investigating the activist based on two petitions bordering on alleged forgery of a police document and cyberbullying.
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