Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore and Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, have regained freedom after spending four days in Kuje Prison.
Sowore confirmed his release in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, writing:
“Happening Now: Leaving Kuje Prison in Abuja after being detained there illegally for four days. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow.”
The duo were among several protesters arrested last week at the Kuje Magistrate Court during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow demonstration in Abuja.
On Friday, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id granted bail to Sowore, Ejimakor, Prince Emmanuel Kanu (Nnamdi Kanu’s brother), and ten others. They were arraigned on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace.
Each defendant was granted ₦500,000 bail with two sureties residing in the FCT, valid identification, a three-year tax clearance, and passport submission.
Following his release, Ejimakor described the detention as “traumatic and inhumane,” alleging that protesters were beaten and tear-gassed by police officers.
“The experience was traumatic for me, for my colleagues, for everybody. People cooperating with the police were shoved, beaten, and some sustained injuries. Even at the CID in Garki, they deployed several canisters of tear gas just to get us into vehicles. It’s unlawful and sheer executive rascality,” he said.
He clarified that the protest was aimed at the presidency, not the judiciary, urging President Bola Tinubu to withdraw Kanu’s case as a step toward justice and peace in the South-East.
Sowore’s lawyer, Temitope Temokun, accused the police of illegally detaining his client despite meeting bail conditions within 30 minutes of the court ruling. He alleged that armed officers forcibly took Sowore to Kuje Prison, assaulting those who tried to film the incident.
The police had accused the activists of inciting public disturbance and breaching the peace, claiming they obstructed traffic and chanted war songs.
Sowore, however, maintained that the demonstration was peaceful and that security operatives attacked unarmed protesters calling for Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
