By Emmanuel Abi Couson
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has condemned the action of the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun over the detention of Omoyole Sowore
The African Democratic Congress ADC party stalwart in his Facebook page wrote :the treatment of Omoyele Sowore by the IGP Monitoring Team is a shameful abuse of power. It is wrong, unlawful, and must be condemned by all who believe in justice.
Sowore’s only offence is speaking out against injustice, nepotism, and misrule. For that, he was reportedly attacked at dawn, beaten, had his arm broken, and sprayed with chemicals by policemen acting on petitions from the IGP’s own office.
This is personal vendetta, not policing.
Even the Nigeria Police Regulation forbids this. Regulation 367 states:
“No police officer shall institute any legal proceeding in his own personal interest or in connection with matters arising out of his public duties.”
The IGP cannot be a complainant and still deploy the force to carry out his grievance.
This is not about Sowore alone, it is an attack on every Nigerian who dares to speak truth to power.
This must stop.
And Sowore should be released immediately, and unconditionally, too. -AA”
