There was confusion on Friday at the Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja as operatives of the Nigeria Police Force allegedly assaulted and re-arrested activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore moments after he was granted bail.

According to eyewitnesses, Sowore was dragged into a waiting police van by officers led by CSP Ilyasu Barau, the Officer in Charge of Anti-Vice under the FCT Command’s DC-CID, shortly after the magistrate granted him and 13 others bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each.

The bail was approved by Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id following their arraignment on charges of unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace related to the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest in Abuja.

However, while Sowore’s legal team was finalising the bail conditions, police officers reportedly pounced on him without explanation.

 “The IPO punched him, dragged him on the ground, and forced him into the van. They really manhandled him,” an eyewitness told Politics Nigeria.

Another source added that officers claimed to have a “secret remand order” but refused to show any documentation when questioned.

“The police took Sowore away to Kuje Prison despite his bail, citing a secret remand order,” the source said.

Others granted bail alongside Sowore include Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, and 11 other protesters.

The re-arrest has drawn criticism from observers and activists, who described it as another example of arbitrary use of force against citizens exercising their right to peaceful protest.