Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Arewa Take-It-Back Movement have strongly condemned the arrest of activist and politician Omoyele Sowore by the police after he led a protest demanding the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement on Thursday, Atiku described the action as “tyrannical and shameful,” warning that the government’s intolerance of dissent is eroding Nigeria’s democratic fabric.
“I am shocked and disappointed, but not surprised,” Atiku said. “Shocked that in 2025, decades after defeating military rule, a civilian government still treats peaceful protest as a crime.”
The former Vice President noted that those in power today “once thrived on protests” but have now turned against the same democratic values they once championed.
“Bola Tinubu continues to show Nigerians exactly who he is and what he intends to be — if we allow him,” Atiku added.
He condemned Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom as “a new low” and “an open assault on democracy,” insisting that peaceful protest is a constitutional right.
Atiku demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, saying democracy “cannot coexist with tyranny.”
The Arewa Take-It-Back Movement also lambasted the arrest, describing it as “a brazen attack on democracy and the rule of law.”
In a statement signed by its Lead Coordinator, Nazif Bashi, the northern group said the arrest was “an outrageous act by the Nigeria Police Force under the Tinubu regime.”
“Sowore’s peaceful presence at the court was an exercise of his constitutional rights, yet it was met with harassment and arrest. This marks another dark reminder of how far this government will go to silence dissenting voices,” Bashi said.
The group further argued that Sowore’s arrest was not merely an attack on one individual but on “every Nigerian who refuses to bow to intimidation.”
They called on Nigerians and the international community to “resist the deliberate erosion of fundamental freedoms.”
“We urge all Nigerians and the global democratic community to rise, speak out, and resist this descent into tyranny,” the group declared.
However, the Nigeria Police Force defended the arrest, saying it was carried out to ensure fairness in the prosecution of those involved in Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja.
Police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin told journalists that Sowore led protesters into a restricted area, insisting that justice must apply equally.
“If we charge some protesters to court and leave the person who led them, that would not be fair,” Hundeyin said.
He assured that Sowore would not be detained beyond the legal timeframe.
“He won’t spend up to 24 hours with us. Once the charges are ready, he’ll be arraigned,” the police spokesman added.
