{"id":121305,"date":"2025-08-07T19:42:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T18:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=121305"},"modified":"2025-08-07T19:42:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T18:42:41","slug":"rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/","title":{"rendered":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#8217;s Detention\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned what it describes as the \u201cviolent and lawless detention of pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore, calling for the immediate dismissal of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun and holding him personally responsible for any harm suffered by the activist while in custody.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The group\u2019s reaction follows reports from Amnesty International and multiple eyewitness accounts alleging that Sowore was violently assaulted by police officers at about 6:00am and forcefully dragged from his detention cell without legal representation or prior notice. He was reportedly taken to an undisclosed location, and sustained severe injuries to his left hand during the scuffle.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThis is not just a violation of human rights; it is an outright declaration of war against democratic principles,\u201d said Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA\u2019s National Coordinator. \u201cDragging a citizen out of detention at dawn, injuring him in the process, and then disappearing him to an unknown location these are not the actions of a constitutional democracy. These are tactics of tyranny.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sowore, a longtime activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, had reportedly joined a peaceful demonstration organized by retired police officers who were demanding unpaid entitlements. HURIWA insists that Sowore\u2019s only offence in the eyes of the police was exercising his right to peaceful assembly and expression.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThis IGP has made it personal, his hostility toward Sowore stems not from any criminal conduct, but because Sowore dared to raise questions about whether Egbetokun had reached the mandatory retirement age. That is a matter of public interest not a justification for vendetta and brutality.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">HURIWA recalled an earlier protest in front of the Force Headquarters where a police officer allegedly snatched Sowore\u2019s eyeglasses in full view of the public. To date, the association says, no disciplinary action has been taken, reflecting what it calls a dangerous culture of impunity within the force.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhat HURIWA is highlighting,\u201d Onwubiko continued, \u201cis that a uniformed officer on duty, in front of police headquarters robbed a citizen in broad daylight, and nothing was done. That silence from the authorities says everything about the current leadership of the police.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The association expressed deep concern over what it sees as a wider erosion of democratic values under the current administration, pointing fingers at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for failing to speak out.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cPresident Tinubu\u2019s silence is not neutrality, it is complicity, if the Commander-in-Chief will not call his police chief to order while citizens are being brutalized, then Nigerians must begin to ask: who is really in charge of this country?\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">HURIWA also referenced previous incidents involving IGP Egbetokun, including allegations of interference in a legal matter involving the Attorney General of Anambra State, accusing him of running the police force as a tool for settling political scores.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe Nigerian Constitution, in Section 15(5), is unambiguous: the state must abolish all forms of corruption and abuse of power. But what we see under this IGP is the exact opposite entrenched impunity and unchecked lawlessness,\u201d Onwubiko said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The association has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Omoyele Sowore, along with urgent medical care for injuries he sustained. It also called for an independent investigation into his mistreatment, as well as criminal prosecution of all officers involved.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe IGP\u2019s continued stay in office is a direct threat to civil liberties. If President Tinubu refuses to act, the human rights community in Nigeria will not remain silent. We are prepared to take to the streets if necessary. Let the police try arresting or silencing all of us.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">HURIWA concluded by insisting that Nigeria must choose between democracy and dictatorship \u2014 and that keeping Egbetokun in office sends the wrong signal to the world.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIf anything happens to Sowore,\u201d Onwubiko declared, \u201cthe IGP must be held personally accountable. This country cannot afford to normalize state-sponsored violence against its own citizens.\u201d<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned what it describes as the \u201cviolent and lawless detention of pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore, calling for the&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":113531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#039;s Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#039;s Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lizzy Chirkpi The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned what it describes as the \u201cviolent and lawless detention of pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore, calling for the&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1424\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"802\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#8217;s Detention\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\"},\"wordCount\":654,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\",\"name\":\"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore's Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp\",\"width\":1424,\"height\":802},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#8217;s Detention\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore's Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore's Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News","og_description":"By Lizzy Chirkpi The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned what it describes as the \u201cviolent and lawless detention of pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore, calling for the&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1424,"height":802,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#8217;s Detention\u00a0","datePublished":"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/"},"wordCount":654,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/","name":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore's Detention\u00a0 - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp","datePublished":"2025-08-07T18:42:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IGP-Kayode-Adeolu-Egbetokun-1-1424x802-1.webp","width":1424,"height":802},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/rights-group-demands-sack-of-igp-over-sowores-detention\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rights Group Demands Sack of IGP Over Sowore&#8217;s Detention\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121306,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121305\/revisions\/121306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}