Human rights lawyer Tope Temokun and the African Action Congress (AAC) have strongly condemned the re-arrest of activist Omoyele Sowore shortly after a Kuje Magistrate Court granted him bail, calling the police action a “show of shame” and a flagrant breach of legal and constitutional norms.
Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters and leader of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow campaign, was initially taken into custody on Thursday, October 23, 2025, for leading the #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters into court restricted areas in Abuja.
On Friday, October 24, 2025, a Kuje Magistrate Court granted Sowore and 12 other protesters bail.
The court required each protester to present two FCT-based sureties and set the bail at ₦500,000 per person.
Despite meeting all bail conditions, Sowore was immediately re-arrested by police officers under the command of CSP Iliyasu Barau, Officer-in-Charge of Anti-Vice at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Eyewitnesses said the officers forcibly removed Sowore from the premises, ignoring the court’s decision.
Temokun condemned the move, saying:
“The police action is a direct affront to the rule of law. They had no authority to flout a court order. In broad daylight, they descended violently on Sowore and others, forcibly taking him into custody. This is executive brigandage, not enforcement of the law.”
He further called on the Attorney General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, and concerned citizens to denounce the re-arrest and ensure adherence to the court’s bail directive.
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Temokun also praised the magistrate for granting bail despite resistance from the police.
The AAC also criticized the re-arrest, describing it as a blatant attack on judicial independence and citizens’ constitutional rights.
The party urged security agencies to respect judicial orders, stressing that “no individual is above the law.”
Sowore is set to be arraigned on Monday, October 27, 2025, on a fresh charge over public statements allegedly calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal.
The incident has sparked national and international concern, with legal experts and civil society groups warning that such actions undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s judiciary and pose a dangerous precedent for citizens exercising their constitutional rights.