By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukeu
Pandemonium broke out at the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, following the reported abduction of human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, by yet-to-be-identified security operatives moments after he was granted bail.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred shortly after the court concluded proceedings and granted Sowore bail in a case involving alleged defamation and incitement.
The activist reportedly was said to have been surrounded by armed operatives who whisked him away in an unmarked vehicle before his lawyers could complete his release formalities.
The sudden operation threw the court premises into confusion as supporters, journalists, and observers fled in different directions. Some eyewitnesses alleged that the operatives, who arrived in plain clothes, used force to subdue Sowore’s aides who tried to intervene.
A member of Sowore’s legal team, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, described the development as “a gross violation of judicial authority and due process.”
“We are still in shock. The court had just granted him bail, and before the paperwork could be concluded, men we couldn’t identify as belonging to any known agency grabbed him and drove off. This is lawlessness,” the lawyer said.
As of the time of filing this report, no security agency had claimed responsibility for the arrest. Attempts to get a response from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force were unsuccessful.
The incident has since sparked outrage on social media, with activists and civil society groups accusing the government of silencing dissenting voices. Many users on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook called for Sowore’s immediate release, describing the act as “a return to military-style repression.”
Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of the U.S.-based Sahara Reporters, has had several clashes with successive Nigerian governments over his activism and criticism of public officials.
He was first arrested in August 2019 by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling for a nationwide protest tagged “#RevolutionNow.” He spent over four months in detention before being released on court orders.
Efforts to reach Sowore’s family and close associates on Friday evening proved abortive, as his phone lines were switched off. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and several human rights organizations are reportedly preparing to issue statements condemning the abduction.