The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called for the release of Media Founder and Politician Omoyele Sowore following his arrest on Wednesday by men of the Nigerian Police Force.
Sowore was arrested on Wednesday while honouring an invitation from the Nigerian Police Force. No credible charges have been filed at the time of the report, raising suspicions and speculations of a politically motivated arrest.
Obi condemned the arrest of the Sahara Reporters boss, particularly stressing the fact that he willingly turned himself in to the police following his invitation. He called for a public condemnation from all Nigerians who care about due process and justice, stating that Sowore posed no immediate risk and therefore does not deserve the high-handed treatment he got from law enforcement officers.
Obi added that the detention of a citizen who willingly turned himself in without a disclosure of lawful charges is not only a miscarriage of justice but also an abuse of power.
Quoting Greek philosopher Plato, Obi buttressed his point on the abuse of power and how it applies to the Sowore case.
“Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens,” Obi said.
” I therefore call on the Nigerian Police to immediately release Omoyele Sowore or charge him formally under the law. Anything short of this would be a further erosion of public trust in the nation’s law enforcement institutions.” Obi Added.
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He reiterated that it is the collective duty of the citizens to insist that the rule of law must apply to all citizens regardless of ideology, background, and political alignment.
Omoyele Sowore is a Nigerian activist and politician who founded Sahara Reporters, a frontline online news platform in Nigeria. He was a presidential candidate under the AAC party in 2019 and 2023, floating a revolution-charged message as his core message and political ideology.
The activist turned politician has had several brushes with Nigerian authorities in the past, gaining him a following among the Nigerian masses.
