News
Protesters Demand Release of Omoyele Sowore at Force Headquarters
Mariam Sanni
A peaceful protest took place today at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, where demonstrators demanded the immediate release of human right activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore.
It was gathered that the activist was detained by the authorities when he honoured an invitation extended to him by the Force Intelligence Department (FID).
His legal counsel, Barrister Alex Oketa, described the detention as unconstitutional, stating Sowore has the right to remain silent under Nigerian law and is not obligated to make any statement.
He also accused the police of holding Sowore beyond the legally allowed period.
Comrade Oshioks Philips of the AAC joined in condemning the detention, urging respect for the rule of law.
He accused the police of refusing to disclose the petition against Sowore, noted that protesters will not leave the police environment until Sowore is released unconditionally.
He noted that Sowore’s fundamental human rights have been violated in detention.
“He decided not to pen down any form of statement, because, as a freeborn, we deserve to see the petition written against him at the end of the day. But unfortunately, nothing was presented on that basis.
“The information we got was he was going to be detained within the facility of FID for that day only for us to return in the morning to discover he was no longer there, so for us, we feel he was kidnapped, because his whereabouts are still unknown to us.
“So how can it be that the one we brought before your facility was kidnapped from your facility? No, he was not just kidnapped. There is evidence of him being brutalised because we could see the injuries he sustained, and for us, he has a broken arm,” he said.
In response, Commissioner of Police Abayomi Shogunle confirmed that two petitions, alleging document forgery and cyberbullying, were filed against Sowore. He said the allegations were formally presented in the presence of Sowore’s lawyers, and that his detention followed due process.
He added the case is unrelated to Sowore’s political or human rights activities, and that he remains in safe custody with legal access.
His words: “Two petitions against Omoyele Sowore were shown to him in the presence of his two lawyers, one bordered on forgery, forgery of police documents, which he published online. And we all know the law’s position. It is your duty to provide the source or explain how you obtained the documents. Then the second petition has to do with cyberbullying, regarding a false allegation.
The petitions were shown to him in the presence of the two lawyers, but the issue is that he refused to make statements in the presence of his lawyers. It is on record.
“He refused to make a written statement. The procedure under Nigerian law is very clear. When an allegation is made against you, you are called upon. You have a duty to put down your own position. If you cannot write, it is not compulsory that you write in English. If you cannot write, somebody will write for you and read and interpret for you, and you sign.”
News
Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope
By Sunday Dare
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.
So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.
Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.
Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.
The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.
Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.
Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.
It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992
Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.
It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.
Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.
This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.
Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.
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