The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), and former senator Shehu Sani, appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday to show solidarity with human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government, is facing charges over social media posts in which he referred to Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, as an “Illegal IG.”
The case has sparked widespread debate on free speech and the right to criticize public officials.
Outside the court, hundreds of Sowore’s supporters staged a protest against the police, accusing them of attempting to suppress dissent and silence those exposing police extortion and brutality.
Sowore has been in police custody at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja since Monday after refusing to accept bail conditions set by authorities.
His detention follows his appearance at the police headquarters in response to a summons over a viral video in which he exposed extortion by officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The police have filed 17 charges against him under cybercrime laws, alleging that his remarks incited the public against the police force and defamed the Inspector General.
However, inconsistencies in the charge sheet, including misspellings of Sowore’s name and grammatical errors, have raised concerns about the case’s credibility.
The trial continues amid growing calls from civil rights groups for Sowore’s release and the dismissal of what they describe as politically motivated charges.
