Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku has described the alleged maltreatment of the Convener of #RevolutuonNow by the IGP Monitoring Team of Omoyele Sowore as shameful and abuse of power.
Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) noted this on Thursday in reaction to the continued detention of the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
In a statement posted to his verified Facebook page, the former VP wrote, “The treatment of Omoyele Sowore by the IGP Monitoring Team is a shameful abuse of power. It is wrong, unlawful, and must be condemned by all who believe in justice.”
He added that Sowore’s only offence was speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule.
“For that, he was reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.”
Atiku added that such treatment on the publisher of Sahara Reporters was “personal vendetta, not policing.”
Citing Regulation 367 of Nigeria Police Regulation, “No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties,” Atiku maintained that the “IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance.”
He added that, “This is not about Sowore alone, it is an attack on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
“This must stop,” he said.
Atiku went further to demand the immediate release of the human rights activist, stressing, “Sowore should be released immediately, and unconditionally, too.”
LEADERSHIP recalls that the former presidential candidate was detained on Wednesday after honouring police invitation on alleged petition against him by an undisclosed person.
