LAGOS EYE NEWS – A dramatic and unsettling scene unfolded at the Magistrate Court in Kuje today as police officers allegedly stormed the court premises shortly after human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was granted bail on liberal terms.

According to eyewitnesses and Sowore’s legal representative, Barrister Tope Temokun, a team of police officers led by CSP Iliyasu, Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Vice Unit, State Command CID, forcefully re-arrested the activist in what has been described as a “brazen display of impunity.”

Temokun, who issued a statement from the court premises, recounted that the officers violently descended on Sowore and others present in the courtroom. He said he was physically assaulted during the scuffle, sustaining injuries and blood stains on his legal bib in the process.

“The officers, in a most unruly and undisciplined manner, rough-handled Sowore and whisked him away to an unknown destination. This is a clear affront to the authority of the court and a violation of the fundamental rights of a citizen,” Temokun stated.

He further alleged that the police did not take Sowore to prison as would normally follow a legal remand but instead “spirited him away,” describing the incident as “executive brigandage and mockery of the rule of law.”

Temokun commended the magistrate for what he called “courage in the face of pressure” from police officers allegedly attempting to frustrate Sowore’s bail.

“Today marks a dark and painful moment for justice and democracy in Nigeria,” he said, calling the incident a “reckless desecration of the judiciary.”

He called on the Attorney General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, and “all well-meaning Nigerians” to condemn what he termed “a grave injustice and violation of court orders.”

The statement ended with a demand for the immediate enforcement of the bail earlier granted to Sowore.

As of press time, police authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the incident or the current whereabouts of Omoyele Sowore.