Once again, the Nigeria Police have not shown that they fear the voice of the people more than the actions of real criminals.
On October 23, 2025, human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was arrested in Abuja shortly after leaving the Federal High Court, where he had appeared earlier in the day.
He was not at any protest, yet the police swooped in and took him away — another act that exposes how those in power use law enforcement to intimidate voices of dissent.
There was no violence, no disruption, no crime — just the familiar pattern of silencing outspoken citizens. But the story didn’t end there.
On October 24, just one day later, after Sowore was granted bail by a magistrate’s court, the police re-arrested him immediately.
Eyewitnesses say he was manhandled and forced into a police vehicle without proper documentation or legal order. His lawyers later reported that his whereabouts were unclear for several hours — a worrying sign of how casually the rule of law is ignored. This is not policing; this is persecution.
Let’s be honest: this is no longer about Sowore alone. It is about what Nigeria is becoming — a country where truth is treated like rebellion and courage is punished like crime.
The Nigerian Constitution, under Sections 39 and 40, guarantees freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Yet, when those rights challenge the powerful, the same police who should defend the law become tools to suppress it.
Each unlawful arrest like this widens the gap between the police and the people.
Each abuse of power destroys what little trust remains.
If the police can arrest and re-arrest a public figure like Sowore without cause, imagine what can happen to ordinary Nigerians who have no platform or protection.
It is time the police remembered their true duty — to protect citizens, not politicians.
Until then, every siren they sound will remind us not of safety, but of fear.
punch.ng
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