The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has sharply criticised the arrest and continued detention of SaharaReporters Publisher and politician, Omoyele Sowore by the Nigeria Police Force.
He urged relevant stakeholders to rise and stop what he called a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of state power.
According to Obi, he is deeply disturbed to learn of the arrest shortly after he voluntarily honoured an invitation by the NPF.
He said in a statement he shared online: “At the time of writing, no clear or credible charges have been made public, which further casts a troubling shadow over the nature and motivation behind his detention.”
Obi stated that “his arrest, particularly under circumstances where he presented himself in good faith to law enforcement, should be condemned by all who value justice and due process.
“From all indications, no urgency or criminal flight risk warranted such high-handed treatment.”
The former Anambra State governor expressed concern over the legality and moral implications of such an arrest, saying, “To detain a citizen who came of his own accord, without the public disclosure of clear, lawful charges, is not only a miscarriage of justice but an abuse of state power.”
Citing Plato, he said, “Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as it first resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens.
“When those entrusted with power act unjustly, they poison not only the legal order but the moral conscience of the nation.”
Obi called on the authorities to act within the bounds of justice: “I therefore call on the Nigerian Police to immediately release Omoyele Sowore or charge him formally under the law.”
“Anything short of this would be a further erosion of public trust in the nation’s law enforcement institutions.”
He concluded with a call for equal application of the law: “It is our collective duty to insist that the rule of law must apply to all citizens, regardless of ideology, background, or political alignment.”
