Breaking: “Why Sowore Is Being Detained,” CP Breaks Silence
- CP Abayomi Shogunle, commissioner of police, Special Intervention Squad (SIS), released crucial information regarding human rights activist Omoyele Sowore's detention
- In a chat with protesters in Abuja on Friday, CP Abayomi Shogunle explained why the Nigeria Police Force detained Sowore
- The CP clarified reports of Sowore's alleged brutalisation and offered to take a few protesters to where the activist was being held to show proof
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The commissioner of police for Special Intervention Squad, CP Abayomi Shogunle, on Friday, August 8, explained why human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, is being detained by the Nigeria Police Force.
Source: Facebook
Legit.ng earlier reported that Amnesty International accused Nigerian police of violently assaulting detained activist Sowore during an early morning transfer attempt.
Sowore reportedly sustained a broken arm after resisting being taken to court without access to legal counsel.
But Shogunle, while addressing protesters and the press in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Friday, August 8, said Sowore’s arrest and detention were ordered after the activist allegedly refused to make a statement upon police interrogation.
Sowore refuses to make a statement - Police
In a video streamed by Sahara Reporters, the CP said there were two petitions against the activist.
According to CP Shogunle, the police are acting within the confines of the law and denied claims of unlawful detention.
Source: Facebook
“The two petitions against Omoyele Sowore were shown to him right in my presence. One bordered on forgery of a police document, which he published online, and we all know the position of the law. It is your duty to provide a source of how you came about the forged document. The second petition has to do with cyberbullying.
“The two petitions were shown to him in the presence of his lawyers. The issue now is that he refused to make a statement in the presence of his lawyers. It is in the record,” the CP said.
“The same law that gives him the right to remain silent also gives the police the responsibility of certain duties,” he added.
As reported by The Punch, the CP noted further that Sowore was not forced to make a statement despite his alleged refusal.
He thereby offered to take a few protesters to where Sowore was being held to show that he was not being brutalised.
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Atiku reacts to Sowore’s arrest
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that former vice president Atiku Abubakar condemned the alleged assault and maltreatment of Omoyele Sowore.
Atiku, in a post shared on his X page on Thursday, August 7, described the incident as a “shameful abuse of power” and an act of personal vendetta by the Nigeria Police Force.
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Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
