Omoyele Sowore is the founder of Sahara Reporters, a platform that has exposed countless cases of corruption and abuse of power in Nigeria. He is also the National Chair of the African Action Congress (AAC) — a left-wing party he founded in 2018 that “stands firmly on anti-imperialist, Pan-African, and Eco-socialist principles, committed to the struggle for the total liberation of the Nigerian people”. The Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) works within and alongside the AAC to build a mass socialist alternative to the corrupt capitalist establishment in Nigeria.
The persecution of Sowore is not an isolated case — it is part of the wider repression of social movements, workers, and youth demanding genuine democracy and an end to poverty and inequality. Internationalist Standpoint stands in full solidarity with Omoyele Sowore and all the activists who face persecution in their struggle for a socialist transformation of Nigeria.
On Friday, October 24, 2025, men of the Nigeria Police Force stormed the Kuje Magistrate Court and abducted Omoyele Sowore moments after the judge had granted him bail on liberal terms. They then forcibly took him to Kuje Medium Prison.
The police claimed that Sowore and others had violated a supposed court order restricting protests to certain areas. Yet that order was never served on the protesters — and, in any case, it is not the police’s duty to enforce such orders. This unlawful act once again exposes the regime’s deliberate attempt to keep Sowore in prolonged detention. Fortunately, Sowore and twelve others were released on bail on Monday, October 27.
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This attack is only the latest in a long series of persecutions since his first arrest in August 2019. Over the years, Sowore has faced countless forms of harassment: he was restricted to Abuja for over two years; thugs were sponsored to attack him at court premises on several occasions; and in May 2024, a police officer, Ataline Daniel, at close range fired tear gas at him during a protest at Unity Fountain.
Earlier this year, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun accused Sowore of “cybercrime” and secured a court order to seize his international passport. As a result, Sowore has been unable to visit his family abroad. Even when he appealed through the courts, a judge denied his request, absurdly ruling that it was “not an emergency matter.”
The state’s harassment of Sowore did not begin recently. It dates back to 1992, when the Babangida military regime expelled him from the University of Lagos for leading student protests as president of the Students’ Union. Since then, successive governments — military and civilian alike — have sought to silence him for exposing corruption and demanding justice. One of the most vindictive measures was the deactivation of his biometric records, which made his passport, voter’s card, national ID, and driver’s license invalid until a public campaign forced their reactivation.
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Sowore’s “offense” is simple: he has refused to be silent in the face of corruption and injustice. Through fearless journalism and activism, he has given voice to the voiceless and hope to a generation of young Nigerians disillusioned by unfulfilled promises. Because it could not engage his ideas, the ruling class has chosen to intimidate, arrest, and prosecute him on fabricated charges.
This pattern of persecution undermines the very principles Nigeria supposedly claims to uphold. Despite all its limitations, the Nigerian constitution guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to political participation. When the state uses its power to muzzle critics, it breaks the social contract that it uses as a propaganda tool when workers strike back. Seems they expect Nigerian workers to honor social peace while they wage class war against them.
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Beyond Sowore, this struggle concerns the basic democratic rights in Nigeria. By targeting Sowore, the government is not merely punishing one man — it is sending a dangerous signal that free expression is not tolerated when the regime’s interests are at stake. In reality, their democracy is a façade, designed to protect the ruling elite. The only ones who will fight for true democratic rights are the workers and the poor people of the country.
History will remember not only the courage of those who spoke up, but also the silence of those who turned away.
We shall organize to fight for the demand to drop all politically motivated charges against Sowore, lift restrictions on his movement, and immediately return his passport. The Inspector General of Police and the DSS must end their campaign of fabricated cases and harassment.
Unions and other fighting organisations must commence the struggle to protect basic democratic rights against the state, the police and the judiciary.
Hands off Omoyele Sowore and every Nigerian who dares to demand justice.
An injury to one is an injury to all.
