Amnesty International Nigeria has released a statement calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, held by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Human Rights Organization said, Sowore has been “facing ongoing harassment and intimidation by the Nigeria Police.”
Sowore’s detention is coming after he led a protest by retired Police Officers in Abuja demanding for better retirement benefits.
The Organization called for the Police to “drop all bogus and politically motivated charges” against the Journalist, and allow the Human Rights Activist to “freely exercise his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.
Taking to X, Amnesty International Nigeria said: “Amnesty International strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of human rights activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore who has been facing ongoing harassment and intimidation by the Nigeria Police.
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Sowore and drop all bogus and politically motivated charges against him.
“The authorities should listen to critics instead of seeking to gag them through outright abuse of power.
“Nigerian authorities must allow Sowore to freely exercise his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Apart from putting him through sham trials based on bogus charges, Sowore has been subjected to series of human rights violations.
“Since 2019, Sowore has been facing arbitrary detentions and unfair trials solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.
“In November 2019, Amnesty International declared him a Prisoner of Conscience after being arbitrarily detained for his peaceful activism. The case of Sowore shows just how far the authorities in Nigeria can go to silence peaceful dissent.”
