The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has been arrested and detained by the Nigerian Police.
Sowore was taken into custody on Wednesday after honouring an invitation at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. According to reports, he was not presented with the petition against him, nor was the identity of the petitioner revealed.
The AAC has alleged that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is behind the petition, accusing the Force of treating Sowore with hostility. The party claimed that upon his arrival, officers threatened to handcuff him, refused to disclose the nature of the case, harassed his legal team, and attempted to whisk him away in a vehicle without explanation.
The AAC described the arrest as a violation of legal and human rights procedures and a retaliation for Sowore’s consistent activism and investigative journalism, which have exposed alleged misconduct within the police.
They further accused the administration of weaponizing police resources to silence opposition voices and labeled the arrest a "misuse of power and a threat to democratic freedom."
In response, the party has called for nationwide protests and warned of mass action if Sowore is not released promptly.
Sowore has been a vocal critic of corruption and abuse of office, particularly within Nigeria’s security agencies.
