By Empress Blessing
Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has alleged that he was denied access to detained activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, at the former Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) facility in Guzape, Abuja.
Effiong disclosed the incident on Friday via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating that police officers at the facility refused to allow him see Sowore without clearance from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command Headquarters.
“I have just been denied access to @YeleSowore at the former SARS Abattoir located at Guzape, Abuja. The officers on duty insisted that I have to get clearance from the FCT Police Command Headquarters before they can give me access to Sowore,” Effiong wrote.
He added that he had to leave the facility after being denied entry.
The development follows Sowore’s re-arrest earlier in the day by the Nigerian Police shortly after being granted bail by a Kuje Magistrate Court on a previous charge.
Authorities are yet to comment on the reason for his continued detention.
Recall that Sowore, alongside Prince Emmanuel Kanu—brother to Nnamdi Kanu—and ten others, had earlier been granted bail by the court in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with two sureties residing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), valid identification, and three years of tax clearance.
Despite meeting the bail conditions, Sowore was reportedly picked up again by police officers immediately after the court session and taken to Kuje Prison on a fresh charge.
Details of the new charge are yet to be disclosed.