The alleged attack and arrest of Omoyele Sowore by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Team has been denounced by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as an abuse of authority.
The remark was sent on Thursday via Atiku’s verified Facebook page. Atiku was the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2023 presidential contender.
According to him, Sowore’s treatment was “shameful, unlawful, and a personal vendetta.”
After honoring a police invitation over a petition allegedly from the IGP’s office, Sowore, a human rights activist and editor of Sahara Reporters, was allegedly ambushed by police personnel at daybreak, beaten, had his arm fractured, and doused with chemicals.
According to Atiku, Sowore’s only transgression was criticizing unfairness, corruption, and poor leadership. He went on to say that it was improper for the IGP to use the police to settle personal scores while simultaneously acting as the complainant. Atiku underlined that the “IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance,” adding that “no police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.”
“Sowore is not the only issue here. Every Nigerian who speaks the truth is being attacked. “It must end,” he declared, calling for Sowore’s unconditional and prompt release.
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