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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest of human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja.
He described it as “an open assault on democracy and a grave symbol of this administration’s contempt for the rule of law.”
Sowore was arrested on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after attending the trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Reacting through a statement issued on Thursday evening through his official social media accounts, Atiku expressed shock and disappointment over what he termed the government’s “continuing hostility toward dissent and civil liberties.”
“I am shocked and disappointed, but not surprised. Shocked that in 2025, decades after we defeated military rule, this government still treats dissent as a crime. Disappointed because those in power today once thrived on protests,” Atiku said.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of displaying “an increasing intolerance toward opposing voices,” noting that Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom represents “a new low.”
“Sowore’s arrest inside a courtroom is a new low, an open assault on democracy and a grave symbol of this administration’s contempt for the rule of lawProtest is not a crime; it is a constitutional right.”
Atiku also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Sowore and other citizens reportedly detained during and after the recent #FreeNnamdiKanu protests in different parts of the country.
“This government must end its persistent harassment of dissenting voices. Democracy cannot coexist with tyranny,” he warned.
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