How Nigerian Police Connived With Kuje Magistrate To Bundle Sowore To Prison, Drove Judge Away To Prevent Him From Signing Bail Bond

The violent arrest and manhandling of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, on Friday on the premises of the Kuje Magistrate court had been pre-planned between the Senior Magistrate and the police, SaharaReporters can report.

The police officers indicted in the assault are those who handled the case including the lead counsel, Adama, CSP Ilyasu Barau and ACP Victor of the State CID in Abuja.

SaharaReporters learnt that when Sowore was brought to court, several policemen had been deployed from Abuja town to Kuje community with armoured tanks as efforts were made by the police to frisk and harass people entering the court.

When the Magistrate arrived, he also met and greeted the police personnel before driving in.

When he arrived in court, he immediately called the case and after seeing how the argument was going, he decided to grant bail, even though some of the conditions were awkward.

SaharaReporters gathered that as soon as the Magistrate left the courtroom, the police lawyers and CSP Barau went to meet him in the chambers, and prevented others from seeing him.

The police began to act aggressively even to the point of confiscating the phones of Sowore's associates and supporters.

"The police then chased the Magistrate away after threatening him that the IGP was personally interested in Sowore staying in prison for as long as possible.

"They forced the magistrate to write and sign a remand warrant and them drove him from the premises even when Sowore's lawyer, Deji Adeyanju and other protesters had completely finished getting the bail conditions," a top source revealed.

"As soon as the judge disappeared, the police contingent mobilised over 50 officers towards Sowore and when Sowore explained his bail process was completed, they said he most go to prison, Sowore replied that the IGP must be an idiot if all he could spend the police force doing is engaging on personal vendetta with the police force and its resources," the source added.

"At this point CSP Barau charged at Sowore, beating him and trying to tear his shirt and he asked other police officers around to force him into the police van. The commotion involved lawyers around who sought to ask why a person whose bail process was done was being forced to prison, the police started beating everyone including lawyers and a food vendor.

"They briefly detained a lawyer attached to the court for recording the scene and forced him to delete his recording. The lawyer to Sowore, Temitope Temokun, also told the police officers that it was the duty of the Correctional Services and the Court to arrange Sowore's remand. The DPO of Kuje also charged at him as well as participating in Sowore's beating.

"When they took Sowore to Kuje prison the DPO of Kuje wanted to force Sowore inside but prison warders told him he had no further role in the matter and told him and CSP Barau to leave.

"Despite waiting till 8pm, the Magistrate never showed up to sign the bail bond which has been concluded by 1pm as Sowore and others involved in the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest remain in prison," the source lamented.

SaharaReporters on Friday reported that the Nigeria Police Force defended the controversial rearrest of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, inside court premises, claiming that a court-granted bail does not automatically entitle a suspect to immediate freedom.

The Force spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, already notorious for his jaundiced reactions to the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protests, had explained on his X handle on Friday that police are "enforcement officers" empowered to use commensurate force to achieve their mandate on Sowore. 

Hundeyin claimed that when a remand warrant specifies that a suspect should be held in a correctional facility, it is the police’s responsibility to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), which then processes the bail conditions.

CSP Hundeyin also justified the use of force by law enforcement, asserting that officers are empowered to employ commensurate force to achieve their mandate. 

He had stated, "Except we want to be mischievous, we all know that once court grants a suspect bail, it comes with the caveat that until the bail conditions are met, the suspect remains in custody. 

"Where it is clearly spelt out on the remand warrant that the suspect be remanded in a correctional facility (not police custody), it is the duty of the police to hand over the suspect to the Nigeria Correctional Service who would then process his bail conditions. This has always been the practice. Why should this be different? 

"Also, as law enFORCEment officers, we are empowered by law to employ commensurate force to get our mandate achieved," Hundeyin added.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that chaos erupted on Friday outside the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja after police officers punched and forcefully dragged Sowore into a waiting vehicle despite the court granting him bail.

Sources on the court premises said the incident occurred moments after the magistrate granted bail to Sowore and 13 others.

While his legal team was in the process of perfecting his bail conditions, police officers, led by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, identified as CSP Ilyasu Barau, OC Anti-Vice, under DC-CID, FCT Command, pounced on him, manhandled him, and forced him into a waiting police van.

According to witnesses, Sowore was assaulted as he resisted attempts by the officers to take him away without a proper explanation.

“The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and pushed him violently into the van. They really manhandled him,” one eyewitness said.

“When we demanded to see the remand order they claimed to have obtained from the court, the officer refused to produce any document.

"Police forcefully took Sowore to prison despite the bail granted to him. They cited a secret remand order."

SaharaReporters learnt that the police also attacked lawyers.

The officers reportedly claimed that they were acting on a remand order, authorising Sowore’s transfer to Kuje Correctional Centre.

Witnesses accused the police of disregarding the court’s bail ruling and attempting to detain him under questionable circumstances secretly.

“Meanwhile, the magistrate granted bail, and there was no mention of any remand order,” one of the eyewitnesses said. 

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