Omoyele Sowore, leader of the Take It Back Movement, has condemned the Nigerian Police for attacking peaceful protesters during Monday’s demonstration. Despite police warnings to cancel the protest because of National Police Day, the protesters went ahead to express their frustration with the government.
In Port Harcourt, police officers reportedly beat protesters and fired tear gas to chase them away. Sowore, speaking on Channels TV, said the police failed a big test by treating citizens with such violence. He described their actions as an attack on human rights.
Sowore, who ran for president in 2023 under the African Action Congress, added that three people were arrested, including a journalist, and were forced to lie in dirty water while being beaten. He called the police “intolerant” and accused them of failing the people they are meant to protect.