Police Brutalised Sowore, Broke His Arm in Custody — Legal Team Rejects Official Denial as “Contradictory”

Abuja, August 9, 2025 — The legal team of activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has accused the Nigeria Police Force of breaking his arm while in detention, dismissing the Force’s official denial as “a tale of contradictions” that fails basic logic.

In a statement signed by his lawyer, Tope Temokun, on Saturday, the team said the injury occurred on August 8 during what they described as a violent attempt by armed officers to forcibly move Sowore from one cell to another at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

According to the lawyers, eight armed policemen arrived at Sowore’s cell around 6:00 a.m., claiming he was to be taken to court. Sowore reportedly refused to leave without his lawyers present, prompting the alleged assault that left his arm broken.

The police, in an August 8 statement (Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.6/483), suggested Sowore had arrived with a bandage. His legal team dismissed the claim as “spurious,” noting that police took an inventory of his belongings on arrival and no bandage was found. They challenged the Force to publish the inventory to prove its claim.

Temokun further accused the police of denying Sowore access to his own medical personnel, instead producing an unnamed nurse or first-aider to wrap his broken arm without X-ray or proper diagnosis. The team said Sowore refused further examination by police medical staff to avoid possible evidence tampering.

The statement also criticised the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Muyiwa Adejobi, for issuing a swift denial in this case while remaining silent over an alleged theft of Rayban AI glasses by an officer linked to his office.

On the legality of Sowore’s detention, the lawyers argued that refusal to write a statement is not a crime, citing Section 35(2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 60(1) of the Police Act 2020, which make statements to the police voluntary.

Parts of the police’s official statement, they said, “smack of personal quarrel” and are “unprofessional,” with “malicious” attacks on Sowore’s image.

While Sowore has been released, his lawyers said they will petition the Nigeria Police Council and Police Service Commission, seeking a full investigation into the conduct of the officers involved.