By Zainab Rauf, Abuja Lawyer to human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the immediate arrest...
By Zainab Rauf, Abuja
Lawyer to human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of a man allegedly caught on video forcefully removing Sowore’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses during a peaceful protest in Abuja.
The protest, which took place on Monday, July 21, 2025, at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, was led by Sowore alongside a group of retired police officers. The demonstration aimed to demand better welfare and justice for serving and retired members of the Nigeria Police.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, Sowore’s counsel, Tope Temokun, identified the suspect as one Aku Victor Chiemerie, alleged to be a police camera operator.
“A man suspected to be one Aku Victor Chiemerie, believed to be a police camera operator, was caught on video snatching Sowore’s AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses,” Temokun said in the statement.
Despite the incident being widely circulated in a viral video online, Temokun decried the silence of the police authorities. He described the act as “unprofessional, unconventional, and ignoble,” noting that it occurred during a constitutionally guaranteed peaceful demonstration.
“Despite the public video evidence... the police authorities have remained silent on this matter in a rather troubling way,” Temokun stated.
He confirmed that a formal petition has now been filed with the relevant authorities on behalf of Sowore, demanding immediate action.
“We have now formally reported the incident by a petition filed on behalf of our client, Omoyele Sowore, and demand the immediate arrest, investigation, and prosecution of that authorities’ agent who perpetrated this shameful act,” the statement read.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued any official response regarding the incident or the allegations.
The protest had drawn attention due to its unusual composition—retired police officers joining forces with a prominent activist—and its focus on long-standing concerns over welfare, dignity, and pension arrears for ex-service members.
Observers have called for a transparent investigation into the incident and urged the police to respect the rights of peaceful demonstrators in line with constitutional guarantees.
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