Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has announced that the Nigeria Police Force will hold him in custody indefinitely following his refusal to accept what he described as “illegal” bail conditions.
It was reported that Sowore will be taken to the police office located at Abattoir, which was previously used by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja.
Earlier, Sowore called the bail conditions imposed on him by the Nigerian Police "ridiculous". The conditions included producing a level 16 civil servant as a surety and surrendering his passport.
Sowore had responded to an invitation from the police over his exposé on officers allegedly extorting motorists along Ikeja, Lagos State, but rejected the bail terms outright.
Sowore shared his stance on social media, saying, “The PoliceNG team assigned to my case has informed me that the DIG of FID, Dasuki Galandachi, has reevaluated my bail conditions, necessitating the production of a level 16 civil servant and the surrender of my international passport, a condition I have declined outright. I refuse to participate in any arrangement that undermines my personal integrity.”
His legal counsel, Femi Falana (SAN), supported his decision, citing a Court of Appeal ruling that had declared such conditions illegal. Falana pointed out that involving civil servants below level 16 as sureties in bail arrangements was not in line with the law.
The police are investigating Sowore for various offenses, including “resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful order, acts intended to cause grievous harm or prevent arrest, compelling action by intimidation, reckless & negligent acts, refusal to assist a public servant, and cyberstalking.”
This investigation follows Sowore’s recording of a viral video that highlighted alleged extortion by police officers on the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Access Road in Lagos.
Earlier, Sowore said that the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the Federal Intelligence Department (FID) informed him that bail would be granted pending the investigation. However, Sowore has stated that he will not accept bail under the conditions that undermine his dignity, and if they are imposed, he will choose to remain in police custody until his case is heard in court.