The Nigerian Police Force has arrested and detained Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), sparking strong condemnation from his party, which described the act as an assault on democratic principles.

In a statement signed by the AAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Femi Adeyeye, the party decried Sowore’s detention as a “targeted attack on democratic rights and an abuse of state power,” asserting that the Tinubu-led administration had “finally gone rogue on democratic rights.”

According to the AAC, the arrest is part of an ongoing clampdown on radical opposition figures and was allegedly carried out under the directive of what it called an “illegal” Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The party maintained that Sowore had been vocal in challenging oppression and advocating for the rights of Nigerians including those of police personnel and retirees while exposing what it referred to as “gross corruption, abuse of office, and nepotism” under Egbetokun’s leadership.

Sowore was said to have honoured a police invitation on Tuesday, August 6, 2025, but, according to the AAC, was met with hostility at the Force Headquarters. The party claimed that he was denied access to the petition and the identity of the petitioner both of which he is legally entitled to.

“Instead, officers threatened to handcuff him, harassed his lawyers, and brought vehicles to whisk him away actions that clearly contravene the Anti-Torture Act,” the statement said. “It was later discovered that the petitioner is the illegal IGP himself. This is both shameful and unlawful.”

The AAC said the Inspector General’s dual role as both petitioner and investigator was a dangerous abuse of institutional power and a direct threat to Nigeria’s democratic foundation. It further criticised the administration’s use of public institutions and resources to suppress opposition voices, instead of addressing insecurity and national welfare.

The party concluded with a call for national mobilisation, warning that it would not hesitate to occupy police commands across the country until Sowore is released and justice is achieved.

“This regime will get the fierce resistance it so desires, very soon,” the statement warned.