Legal counsel to political activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of subjecting his client to inhumane and degrading treatment, warning that the activist’s life is in danger following a forceful transfer from custody to an undisclosed location.
Sowore was detained on Wednesday, August 6, after honouring an invitation by the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit.
According to his lawyer, Tope Temokun, what began as a routine legal engagement quickly descended into what he described as a targeted attack reminiscent of Nigeria’s darkest military days.
Temokun, in a statement released on Thursday, said the activist suffered a dislocated right arm during a violent relocation in the early hours of Thursday. He also claimed that noxious gas was released into the activist’s holding cell before the move.
The lawyer said, “After honouring the invitation, Sowore was detained overnight, and in the early hours of this morning, he was forcibly moved to an unknown God-knows-where, with such violent handling that it dislocated and severely injured his right arm.
“As if physical injury was not enough, it was gathered in this calculated attack on his life that what is believed to be noxious gas was reportedly released into his cell.”
Drawing comparisons with the detentions of late political icons Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Chief MKO Abiola, Temokun warned that the recent treatment of Sowore could be a premeditated effort to undermine his health or worse.
He said, “These are not accidents, nor negligence, or incompetence, these playing out events are vivid attempts on his health, his life, and his dignity.”
The statement further alleged that Sowore has since been transferred to an underground cell, with no official update from the police.
The legal team demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, stating that the police’s actions were a breach of constitutional rights and posed a direct threat to his bodily safety and dignity.
“We warn the Nigeria Police to immediately shelve this satanic script of slow assassination, release Sowore unconditionally, and tender a public apology for the cruel violation of his human rights and bodily safety,” Temokun added.
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