By Danjuma Lamido
Unfortunately, a group calling itself the Unstoppable Friends of Sowore has rushed to condemn what they termed the “unlawful arrest and continued detention” of Omoyele Sowore by the Nigeria Police Force without first verifying the facts.
Their statement, filled with half-truths and sensational claims, only exposes a lack of understanding of the judicial process and a deliberate attempt to mislead Nigerians.
Let it be clearly stated: Omoyele Sowore is not being held by the Nigeria Police Force, as mischievously claimed. He is currently in the custody of the Kuje Correctional Centre based on a valid remand order issued by a Magistrate’s Court, pending when he meets the bail conditions set by the court. Therefore, any talk of “unlawful detention” by the police is both misleading and false.
Equally important is to correct another deliberate falsehood circulated by this group, that Sowore was “arrested inside the Federal High Court, Abuja.” This is untrue. Sowore himself, in his own live video, confirmed that he was invited outside the premises of the Federal High Court, not arrested within it.
The video evidence clearly shows that he walked outside to meet the officers, who politely invited him to question. Hence, the narrative that he was dramatically “picked up inside the court” is nothing but propaganda aimed at inciting public sentiment.
The call by Unstoppable Friends of Sowore for his immediate and unconditional release also reflects ignorance of judicial procedure. Sowore has been granted bail by the Magistrate Court in Kuje, and his release depends solely on meeting the bail conditions, not on emotional outbursts or social media campaigns. Until those conditions are fulfilled, the Kuje Correctional Centre has every legal right to hold him in custody.
Furthermore, the claim that there is a “weaponisation of state institutions against citizens demanding justice and freedom” is both reckless and baseless. Nigeria’s judicial and law enforcement systems are operating within the bounds of the law. No one is above the law, not even Sowore, who must face due process like every other Nigerian.
I understand that the Unstoppable Friends of Sowore are trying to justify their solidarity with their comrade. However, solidarity must be guided by facts, not emotions or misinformation. Their statement, unfortunately, is riddled with errors from the beginning to the end.
It is high time Nigerian activists and their sympathisers learnt to separate propaganda from reality. The rule of law, not social media outrage, determines justice in a constitutional democracy.
Danjuma Lamido writes from Yola, Adamawa State email: danjumalamido2011@gmail.com
