Police Defend Transferring Sowore to Prison After Bail Grant

Authorities have explained their decision to move the prominent rights campaigner Omoyele Sowore to Kuje Prison shortly after a court approved his release on bond, insisting the step followed standard legal steps during his ongoing case.

The 53-year-old activist, a former presidential hopeful and head of Sahara Reporters, faced arrest on Thursday over claims he stirred up crowds and disturbed the calm during a recent rally for the freedom of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra group. He joined 12 others in the dock at the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja on Friday, where he entered a plea of innocence to the counts.

Judges set his freedom at 500,000 naira with two guarantors, but as his legal helpers worked through the paperwork, more than 50 uniformed officers burst into the court area. They grabbed him roughly, tore his top, and bundled him into a waiting van, heading straight for the prison despite the fresh ruling.

A fellow advocate, Deji Adeyanju, who spoke for Sowore’s defenders, decried the rough handling as a blatant disregard for the law. He said the team had just huddled with their client when the raid happened, and the lead officer waved a paper said to be a holding order but pocketed it when asked to show it properly. Adeyanju claimed the man barked that they were off to Kuje and added a jab about Sowore’s past barbs at the top police boss, saying the insult sealed his fate.

Spokesman for the force, Benjamin Hundeyin, pushed back in a clear statement, saying the move stayed true to the rules. He made it plain that a court’s okay for bond does not mean instant freedom— the person stays under guard until all terms are sorted. With the order spelling out a shift to a detention centre rather than a station cell, officers had no choice but to hand him over to the prison keepers, who then handle the bond details. Hundeyin stressed that such handovers are everyday practice, and the law lets guards use fitting strength to carry out their tasks. He shared a copy of the order on his social media page to back his words.

The back-and-forth highlights deeper rifts over the right to gather and speak out freely, especially after Sowore led the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow marches on Monday, which went ahead despite firm warnings from safety teams. Those events drew crowds to the capital and beyond, calling for Kanu’s outright letting go from his three-year holdup on charges of rousing terror and betrayal. Kanu, nabbed again in 2021 after fleeing bail, has seen judges toss his case more than once, but leaders have dug in, hauling him back to trial.

Sowore’s backers see the grab as a bid to quiet voices pushing for change, while officials frame it as keeping order amid heated pleas. The court has set another hearing for the group on Friday, where the full picture may come clearer.