The Take It Back (TIB) Movement has condemned the alleged assault and forceful abduction of its national leader and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, describing the incident as unlawful and unconstitutional.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by Nazif Bashi, Acting Deputy General Secretary of the TIB Movement and Bauchi chapter coordinator, the group said that heavily armed officers from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit stormed the Force Intelligence Department (FID) detention facility at about 6:00 a.m. and violently removed Mr Sowore from custody without a court order or warrant.
According to the group, the operation was led by a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), and during the raid, Mr Sowore’s right hand was broken before he was taken to an undisclosed location.
“This is a blatant violation of his constitutional rights, a total disregard for the rule of law, and another dangerous escalation in the ongoing harassment, intimidation, and persecution of activists and dissenting voices in Nigeria,” the statement read in part.
The movement demanded Mr Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release and called for an independent investigation into the incident. It also urged the Nigerian Bar Association, National Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, SERAP, HURIWA, and the United Nations Human Rights Council to intervene urgently.
The statement reiterated that the Nigerian people will not be silenced or intimidated.
“The people are watching, and history will remember,” the group warned.
Mr Sowore, a former presidential candidate and founder of Sahara Reporters, has remained in police custody since Wednesday after honouring an invitation by the IGP Monitoring Unit. His continued detention and reported assault have drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organisations, including Amnesty International.
