By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyer Freed From Kuje Prison After 4 Days
Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore, along with Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, have regained freedom after spending four days in Kuje Prison.
Sowore confirmed his release on Monday via his X handle, writing: “Happening Now: Leaving Kuje Prison in Abuja after being detained there illegally for four days. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow.”
Their release comes days after a Magistrate Court in Kuje granted them bail on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
The case stemmed from a #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held in Abuja, calling for the release of the separatist leader.
On Friday, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id granted bail to Sowore, Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel Kanu (Nnamdi Kanu’s brother), and ten others.
Each defendant was granted ₦500,000 bail with two sureties residing in the Federal Capital Territory, alongside valid identification, a three-year tax clearance, and passport submission.
Despite meeting all bail conditions promptly, Sowore’s lawyer, Temitope Temokun, alleged that police officers forcibly removed the activist from the court premises and took him to Kuje Prison.
Temokun described the incident as “unnecessary and premeditated,” claiming that officers assaulted those attempting to record the event.
He also argued that the police lacked legal authority to transfer Sowore to prison, insisting that his detention was “illegal and disguised as a remand process.”
Speaking after his release, Ejimakor condemned what he described as “traumatic and inhumane” treatment by the police, recounting the use of excessive force during and after the protest.
“The experience was traumatic for me and for everyone detained. Tear gas canisters were fired directly at us; two even hit me. It was unnecessary and brutal,” he said.
Ejimakor criticised the security agencies for what he termed “executive rascality,” alleging that police officers continued deploying tear gas even when protesters were already subdued.
He clarified that the protest was directed at the presidency, not the judiciary, adding:
“If the presidency or the attorney general withdraws the case, the court will have nothing to try. Our protest was to urge President Tinubu to end Kanu’s unjust prosecution.”
The October 21 rally in Abuja was one of several organised by rights activists demanding the release of Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention since his re-arrest in 2021 on charges of treasonable felony.
The police charged the protesters with inciting public disturbance and obstructing traffic, alleging they blocked roads and chanted “war songs.”
Sowore, however, maintained that the demonstration was peaceful and that the use of live ammunition and tear gas by officers was “unprovoked.”
Both Sowore and Ejimakor have vowed to pursue legal redress for what they describe as unlawful detention and abuse of rights.
Meanwhile, civil rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the alleged police brutality surrounding the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest.
Their release marks the latest flashpoint in the ongoing tension surrounding Nnamdi Kanu’s prolonged detention, a matter that continues to stir political, ethnic, and human rights debates across Nigeria.
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