Nigerian Police have said that they detained the publisher of Sahara Reporters online newspaper, Omoyele Sowore because he refused to speak to the officers.
“The same law that gives him the right to remain silent also imposes responsibilities on the police (to detain) when a suspect chooses not to talk.
“We cannot simply release a suspect because he has decided to keep mute. Procedures under the law are being followed.”
Speaking on the detention of Sowore, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle,said that his arrest followed his alleged refusal to make a statement during police interrogation, despite being confronted with two petitions against him.
According to Shogunle, the petitions accused Sowore of forging a police document, which he allegedly published online and engaging in cyberbullying.
“The two petitions were shown to him in my presence, alongside his lawyers,” Shogunle said in a video streamed by Sahara Reporters.
“One concerns forgery of a police document, and the other relates to cyberbullying. The law is clear—you have a duty to explain how you obtained such a document. But he refused to make a statement, even in the presence of his lawyers.”
Shogunle said that Sowore was not coerced to speak and that the police were following due process.
When asked by a lawyer why Sowore was being held beyond the constitutionally stipulated 24 hours, Shogunle insisted that the detention was lawful.
“We are professionals, and we are complying with the law. Everything required in keeping someone in custody is being observed.”
The police boss said that Sowore came voluntarily, “but the moment he refused to make a statement, his arrest was ordered. The law is being followed regarding his apprehension and detention.”
Meanwhile, Sowore has announced that he has been released from the custody.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter), Sowore wrote: “I have been released from unjust, unwarranted, and unlawful detention.
“It is nothing to celebrate, but I can’t do without thanking you all for not giving up. You’ve all seen the power of unity.”
Sowore, who was presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019, was detained after honouring an invitation from the IGP Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
