By: Sunday Ameh
The Arewa Take-It-Back (TIB) Movement has condemned the arrest of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, describing it as “an attack on every Nigerian who refuses to be silenced by oppression.”
Sowore was arrested on Thursday by police officers at the Federal High Court in Abuja, shortly after appearing in a case filed against him by the Nigeria Police Force. According to reports, the arrest was ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement signed by its Lead Coordinator, Nazif Bashi, the Arewa TIB Movement said Sowore’s arrest represents “yet another assault on the rule of law and the dignity of Nigeria’s democracy.”
“This arrest is not only an attack on Sowore, but on every Nigerian who refuses to be intimidated by oppression,” the group stated.
The movement described the incident as part of a “dark pattern of state repression” under the current administration, recalling Sowore’s repeated detentions since the 2019 #RevolutionNow protests.
“We have witnessed this cycle before — from the 2019 clampdown, through fabricated treason charges, to the most recent cybercrime allegations,” the group noted.
Arewa TIB demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to stop using security agencies to suppress free speech and civic activism.
The group also called on Nigerians and the international community to speak out against what it described as “the deliberate erosion of freedoms” in the country.
“We will not be silenced. We will not be cowed,” the statement added.
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