Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for the continued detention of activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore.
On Wednesday, Sowore honoured an invitation from the inspector-general of police (IGP) monitoring unit over a petition and arrived at the force headquarters in Abuja with his lawyers and members of the ‘Take It Back Movement’.
However, he was taken into custody and, as of Wednesday, remained detained.
By Thursday morning, Sowore alleged that the police broke his arm while he was in detention. Reacting in a post on his X page, Abubakar described Sowore’s treatment by the IGP monitoring team as a “shameful abuse of power” and stressed that it must be condemned by all who value justice.
He stated that Sowore’s “only offence is speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule,” yet he was reportedly attacked, beaten, sprayed with chemicals, and injured — actions Abubakar called “personal vendetta, not policing.” Citing Regulation 367 of the Nigeria Police Regulation, which forbids officers from pursuing personal interests through official powers, Abubakar faulted IGP Kayode Egbetokun for acting as “both a complainant and the person deploying police personnel to enforce his own grievance.” He demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, warning that such actions should not be allowed to persist.