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Sowore Arrives At Nigerian Police Headquarters With Travel Bag, Soap, Toothbrush, Supporters Threaten Mass Action
Sowore had earlier dismissed the police invitation as legally flawed, pointing out that the initial charge of “inciting disturbance” had no legal basis in Nigerian law.
Abuja, Nigeria– Human rights activist and #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore , arrived at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday with a travel bag and personal items, showing readiness for possible detention as he honoured a controversial police invitation.
Sowore, accompanied by his legal team — Barristers A.K. Musa and Marshal Abubakar — and a large group of chanting supporters, arrived at the headquarters at exactly 12:16 p.m.
The crowd sang anti-government and anti-IGP Kayode Egbetokun songs, expressing outrage over what they described as political persecution.
Inside his visibly packed bag were essentials such as soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, clothes, and books — a symbolic gesture of preparedness that heightened tensions among his followers.
Shortly after his arrival, members of the Take It Back Movement, #NUDE Nigeria, and other civil society groups issued a two-hour ultimatum to the police, demanding Sowore’s immediate release or threatening to escalate the situation.
“If they refuse to release Sowore, then they must arrest us with him. We are not going to leave here,” declared Princess Mikky, convener of #NUDE Nigeria.
Rex Elanu of the Take It Back Movement accused the police of using the Inspector General of Police’s Monitoring Unit for political vendettas, labelling the invitation a “witch-hunt.”
Sowore had earlier dismissed the police invitation as legally flawed, pointing out that the initial charge of “inciting disturbance” had no legal basis in Nigerian law.
The charge was later changed to “forgery and criminal defamation,” but authorities have yet to disclose any official documents or the identity of the petitioner behind the complaint.
Activists and civil rights groups see the development as part of a broader pattern of state harassment and intimidation of dissenting voices in Nigeria, raising fresh concerns about the erosion of civil liberties under the current administration.
