Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the treatment of Human Rights Activist, Omoyele Sowore, by the Monitoring Team of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), describing it as a “shameful abuse of power”.
The “only offence” of the 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) is “speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule”.
For this, Sowore was “reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen.”
The Police officers who attacked the journalist were “acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.”
Waziri Adamawa said, the “IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance”, and called for Sowore to be “immediately and unconditionally released”.
In his reaction on X, Atiku said: “The treatment of @YeleSowore by the IGP Monitoring Team is a shameful abuse of power. It is wrong, unlawful, and must be condemned by all who believe in justice.
“Sowore’s only offence is speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule. For that, he was reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.
“This is personal vendetta, not policing.
“Even the Nigeria Police Regulation forbids this. Regulation 367 states:”No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.”
“The IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance.
“This is not about Sowore alone, it is an attack on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
“This must stop.
“And Sowore should be released immediately, and unconditionally, too.”
