Nigerian Police In Big Trouble For Arresting Sowore
A civil rights organisation, Justice Minded (JUSMind), has condemned the arrest and detention of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and other protesters during a recent demonstration in Abuja.
The group demands their immediate and unconditional release, citing violations of their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
In a release by Adeoye Ade-Adewummi Convener, Justice Minded (JUSMind), the organisation said it gave the Nigerian government and police authorities a 48-hour ultimatum to release Sowore and the other detained protesters.
The organisation also calls on the United Nations, African Union, and global human rights bodies to intervene and halt Nigeria’s escalating human rights abuses.
The arrest has sparked widespread condemnation, with many describing it as an attack on democracy and human rights. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Amnesty International have also called for Sowore’s release, citing concerns about the government’s growing intolerance for dissent.
“Justice Minded (JUSMind) strongly condemns, in the most unequivocal terms, the unlawful arrest and continued detention of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and several other peaceful protesters by the Nigeria Police Force during the recent #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.
“Reports indicate that the peaceful demonstrators, exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of assembly and expression, were violently dispersed and arrested by security operatives who claimed that the gathering violated a purported court order restricting protests in certain areas of the Federal Capital Territory. The Police spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, justified the arrests by alleging that Sowore “led the protesters into a restricted area,” describing the act as “fair play.”
“Justice Minded considers this reasoning as legally baseless, morally indefensible, and politically repressive. The right to peaceful protest is not a privilege granted by the state— it is a fundamental right guaranteed the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). These provisions guarantee every Nigerian the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
“No administrative authority, police directive, or judicial order can lawfully override or suspend these rights except as permitted by the Constitution itself—and certainly not for political convenience.
“The arrest of Omoyele Sowore is not an isolated incident; it forms part of a worrying pattern of shrinking civic space and systematic repression of dissenting voices in Nigeria. In recent years, peaceful protesters, journalists, student activists, and civic actors have been intimidated, harassed, or detained simply for speaking truth to power.
“Justice Minded hereby demands: 1. Immediate and unconditional release of Omoyele Sowore and all other detained protesters arrested during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest. 2. A public apology and accountability process for the unlawful arrests, harassment, and excessive use of force by the Nigeria Police Force.
“3. A reaffirmation by the Federal Government of Nigeria of its commitment to uphold citizens’ constitutional rights to peaceful protest, expression, and assembly. 4. Immediate action by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Assembly Committees on Human Rights to investigate this pattern of repression and abuse of power.
“5. Engagement by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), African Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to hold the Nigerian government accountable for repeated violations of civil liberties.
“Justice Minded gives the Nigerian government and the police authorities a 48-hour ultimatum to release Omoyele Sowore and the other detained protesters. Failure to comply will compel us to mobilise Nigerians nationwide and in the diaspora to peacefully and lawfully demand their release through coordinated civic actions, protests, and international advocacy.
“The Nigerian people will not remain silent while their freedoms are stripped away under the guise of “law and order.” History has shown that the will of the people is stronger than the machinery of repression.
“Justice Minded calls on the Nigerian Judiciary to resist manipulation and political capture. The courts must not become enablers of authoritarianism. Judges must stand firmly on the side of justice, liberty, and the Constitution—the supreme law of the land. The judiciary must reclaim its role as the last refuge for the oppressed, not a tool in the hands of the oppressor.
“Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while it continues to punish citizens for exercising their conscience and demanding justice. The continued detention of peaceful protesters is an affront to the Constitution, a betrayal of democratic ideals, and a stain on the nation’s global image.
“Justice Minded urges all Nigerians, civil society organisations, media houses, and the international community to stand united in defense of human rights, freedom, and the rule of law. To criminalise peaceful protest is to criminalise democracy itself.”
