Former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the reported brutalisation of activist Omoyele Sowore by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Team, describing it as a “shameful abuse of power” and a dangerous attack on free speech in Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement posted on social media, Atiku said Sowore’s only “offence” was speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule.
He alleged that policemen, acting on petitions from the IGP’s office, attacked Sowore at dawn, beat him, broke his arm, and sprayed him with chemicals.
“This is personal vendetta, not policing,” Atiku declared, citing Nigeria Police Regulation 367, which forbids police officers from instituting legal proceedings in their own personal interest or in connection with matters arising from their public duties.
“The IGP cannot be both a complainant and the one deploying the force to carry out his grievance,” Atiku warned, calling the incident an attack not just on Sowore, but on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
He demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, insisting that the actions of the police must be condemned by all who believe in justice.
Atiku’s post read, “The treatment of @YeleSowore by the IGP Monitoring Team is a shameful abuse of power. It is wrong, unlawful, and must be condemned by all who believe in justice.
“Sowore’s only offence is speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule. For that, he was reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.
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“This is personal vendetta, not policing.
“Even the Nigeria Police Regulation forbids this. Regulation 367 states:
‘No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.’
“The IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance.
“This is not about Sowore alone, it is an attack on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
“This must stop.
“And Sowore should be released immediately, and unconditionally, too. -AA.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official response to the allegations.