Public Condemnation Statement on the Brutal Assault and Abduction of Omoyele Sowore
Friday, August 8, 2025
On behalf of the National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, and the 13 State Chairmen of OYC across Southeast, South-south and Northern (Kogi & Benue), we express our utter shock, moral outrage, and unreserved condemnation of the despicable, illegal, and cowardly attack carried out this morning by the Nigeria Police Force against Mr. Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential aspirant, pro-democracy activist, and renowned journalist.
In the early hours of Thursday, August 7, 2025, a team of armed officers from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit, led by a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), under the command and orchestration of Illegal Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, forcefully invaded the secure detention cell of Mr. Sowore at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja. In a brazen and utterly indefensible act of state violence, they brutalized and broke his right arm, stripped him of his dignity, and whisked him away to an undisclosed location all while his case is still pending in a competent court of law.
This shameful incident amounts to judicial sabotage, a gross violation of Sowore’s constitutional rights, and a chilling reminder of the dictatorial posture of a supposed democratic government. The Nigeria Police Force, which ought to be a model of justice, constitutional order, and respect for due process, has yet again proven itself to be an instrument of oppression, lawlessness, and political thuggery.
We must ask: What manner of democracy allows security agents to desecrate the sanctity of judicial processes? What kind of Illegal Inspector General of Police allows his men to physically assault a citizen in custody, break his limbs, and carry him off like a criminal in the middle of legal proceedings? This is not policing; this is state-sponsored terrorism. It is cowardice in uniform. It is the brutal face of impunity, and we will not remain silent in the face of this national disgrace.
Let it be known that the Ohanaeze Youth Council views this barbaric attack on Mr. Sowore as an attack on every Nigerian, every revolutionary Nigeria youth, and every voice of conscience in this Country. The youth of Nigeria will not stand idly by while a brigand and illegal Inspector General of Police uses the security apparatus of the state to silence dissent, crush opposition, and assault democracy.
We issue this as a final warning to Illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun and his enablers at the helm of national security: the more you treat the Nigerian people with disdain, violence, and lawless disregard, the closer you push this Country to the edge of civil unrest and anarchy. When those sworn to protect become the perpetrators of injustice, the people will have no choice but to defend themselves. And when the people rise, history has shown that no uniform can shield tyrants from the storm of public resistance.
We demand the following without delay:
1. Immediate release of Mr. Omoyele Sowore from any unlawful custody.
2. A public apology from the Nigeria Police Force.
3. Prosecution and dismissal of the Chief Superintendent and all officers involved in this criminal invasion.
4. A public statement from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu addressing this clear abuse of state power.
5. A medical report and treatment for Mr. Sowore’s broken arm, with full accountability for those who inflicted the injuries.
If these demands are not met within 72 hours, we shall begin nationwide mobilization of Nigerian youth, starting from the South-East, to demand justice through lawful means, including mass action, legal petitions, and international lobbying. We will not be silenced. We will not be intimidated.
This madness must stop and it must stop now.
Signed:
Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka
National President, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC)
Comrade Onuoha Eberechukwu
Chairman, OYC Anambra State
& OYC National Committee Chairman on Civic Defense & Democratic Rights
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