Amnesty International has demanded the immediate release of human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is in police detention.
The convener of Take It Back Movement was taken into custody on Wednesday, when he honoured police invitation at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, alongside his supporters.
The NPF, through the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, is investigating him over alleged “forgery and inciting disturbance”.
In a statement shared on social media, Amnesty said Sowore had been facing ongoing harassment and intimidation by the Nigeria Police.
The statement reads, “The Nigerian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Sowore and drop all bogus and politically motivated charges against him.
“The authorities should listen to critics instead of seeking to gag them through outright abuse of power.
“Nigerian authorities must allow Sowore to freely exercise his rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Apart from putting him through sham trials based on bogus charges, Sowore has been subjected to series of human rights violations.
“Since 2019, Sowore has been facing arbitrary detentions and unfair trials solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.”
In November 2019, Amnesty International declared Sowore a Prisoner of Conscience after being arbitrarily detained for his peaceful activism.
“The case of Sowore shows just how far the authorities in Nigeria can go to silence peaceful dissent,” the rights group further stated.
