Pro-democracy activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the ‘unjust’ detention of a reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu.
Sowore lamented the refusal of the Nigerian Police to release Ojucku despite meeting all the bail conditions.
He mentioned that he, alongside his team had been in Abuja to get the reporter out of police custody.
“We’ve spent the last two days in Abuja to get Daniel Ojukwu of @fijnigeria bailed out from unjust incarceration, meeting police officers in their offices,” the activist wrote on X on Tuesday.
He said said there is a breakdown in the command structure of the police force, noting that some junior officers with influential connections have considerable power surpassing their superiors.
He also expressed disappointment in the apparent reluctance of the police force to embrace reform, despite the aftermath of the #ENDSARS movement.
Sowore also accused the authorities of regressing and disregarding the law and prioritising allegiance to the political elite over upholding the rights of Nigerian citizens.
He wrote, “A few things are clear, there is a breakdown in the @PoliceNG command structure; we met junior officers who are more potent and powerful than their bosses based on their connections; also, we noted that the @policeng is not interested in reforms
“#Endsars scarred them but they are rolling back the gains more fiercely than ever, even when they’re clearly breaking the laws of the land, they’d rather die for crumbs from the corrupt political class than honour the rights of Nigerians.”
Furthermore, the activist accused the police of seeking to control media narratives.
He added that senior officers informed them that the Inspector General of Police and his associates were hindering Ojukwu’s release.
“Finally, they hate serious journalism with passion and are hell-bent on creating a media landscape that dances to their whims and caprices.
“After two days of being tossed around, senior officers told us the IGP and his boys wouldn’t let us release this boy, Daniel, that was after a surety we provided had met their bail conditions. #RevolutionNow,” he added.
Ojukwu was said to have been abducted by men of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police.
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