Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Nigeria’s 2023 general election, has reportedly sustained serious injuries while in police custody, with his right hand allegedly broken by a police team early Thursday morning.
The incident is said to have taken place at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, where Sowore was being held after honouring an invitation from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit on Wednesday.
A statement posted on Sowore’s verified Instagram account alleged that a police team, led by a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) from the IGP Monitoring Unit, forcibly entered his detention cell at approximately 6:00am. The post further claimed that Sowore was violently removed from his cell and subsequently taken to an undisclosed location.
“At about 6AM, a police team, headed by a CSP from the IGP Monitoring Unit, forcibly entered Omoyele Sowore’s detention cell at the FID in Abuja, broke his right hand, and transported him to an undisclosed location,” the post read.
The full circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, and there has been no official statement from the Nigeria Police Force at the time of reporting. It is also uncertain where Sowore is currently being held or what his medical condition is following the alleged assault.
Sowore, a prominent human rights activist, journalist, and staunch critic of government policies, has had multiple run-ins with Nigerian security forces in recent years. His political movement and media platform, Sahara Reporters, have often drawn the ire of state authorities.
Civil society groups and human rights advocates have already begun raising alarm over the incident, calling for an independent investigation and immediate disclosure of Sowore’s whereabouts and condition.
