Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the arrest and continued detention of activist and former presidential hopeful, Omoyele Sowore, by the Nigeria Police Force, describing it as a “miscarriage of justice” and a blatant “abuse of state power.”
Obi expressed outrage in a statement shared on Thursday, a day after Sowore was reportedly detained following his voluntary appearance at a police station.
“I am deeply disturbed to learn of the arrest of Mr. Omoyele Sowore yesterday, shortly after he voluntarily honoured an invitation by the Nigerian Police Force,” Obi said.
According to him, no specific or credible charges had been made public at the time of his statement, raising suspicions about the motivation behind Sowore’s arrest.
“His arrest, particularly under circumstances where he presented himself in good faith to law enforcement, should be condemned by all who value justice and due process,” Obi stated.
He emphasized that Sowore posed no flight risk and that his detention lacked any legal or moral justification.
“To detain a citizen who came of his own accord, without the public disclosure of clear, lawful charges, is not only a miscarriage of justice but an abuse of state power,” Obi asserted.
Quoting the ancient philosopher Plato, Obi noted that justice must first reside in the hearts of citizens and leaders, warning that when state actors act unjustly, they endanger the moral foundation of the nation.
“When those entrusted with power act unjustly, they poison not only the legal order but the moral conscience of the nation,” he said.
Obi called for Sowore’s immediate release or a formal charge, in accordance with the law.
“Anything short of this would be a further erosion of public trust in the nation’s law enforcement institutions,” he warned.
In his closing remarks, Obi underscored the importance of equality before the law, regardless of one’s political beliefs or affiliations.
“It is our collective duty to insist that the rule of law must apply to all citizens, regardless of ideology, background, or political alignment,” he concluded.
Sowore, a vocal critic of successive Nigerian governments and publisher of Sahara Reporters, has been previously detained by security agencies over his activism. His most recent arrest has sparked criticism among civil society groups and rights advocates, who argue that it represents a troubling pattern of shrinking civic space in Nigeria.
