Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has strongly criticized the Nigerian police for what he calls an abuse of power in their bail process.
Sowore, who was invited and later detained for calling the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, an “illegal IGP,” condemned the police’s request for him to provide a Level 17 officer as a surety. Sowore expressed that this demand is an insult to him, and he will continue referring to Egbetokun in this way without apology.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja following a court adjournment of his bail hearing on January 25, Sowore stated that the request to provide such a high-ranking civil servant as surety is absurd and unjust.
In the video posted by Saharareporters, Sowore noted that the Nigerian police have misused their prosecutorial powers and are targeting him out of what he believes to be personal animosity. “I have no apology for calling him ‘illegal IGP,’ and I will not stop addressing him in that way,” Sowore affirmed.
The activist further condemned the bail conditions imposed by the police, describing them as illegal and corrupt. He specifically pointed to the practice of requiring citizens to deposit their passports as part of the bail process, calling it both “ridiculous and frivolous.”
Sowore argued that the Nigerian police do not have the legal authority to impose such conditions, especially when they include demands for extravagant collateral, such as multi-million-naira homes.
He highlighted that the police’s request for a Level 17 civil servant to act as his surety is particularly unreasonable, given his own status as an employer of labor. “How can a Level 17 civil servant stand bail for me, when I am an employer of labor, running an international media company?” Sowore asked.
He expressed disbelief that the authorities would even consider such a request, especially in light of his long-standing activism against corruption.
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