- Members of the Take It Back Movement and other activists had gathered at the airport in anticipation of Sowore’s arrival.
- Sowore’s arrest is believed to be linked to the 10-day #EndBadGovernance protest held nationwide in August, with another protest scheduled for October 1.
Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), has been freed after a short detention.
Sowore was taken into custody on Sunday upon his return to Nigeria, specifically at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The #RevolutionNow protest convener confirmed his arrest earlier in the day, revealing that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) was responsible for his detention.
“I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA to the MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me,” he wrote.
“This is not unexpected because I have always known that it is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt.”
“In case this becomes another prolonged and protracted detention, I urge our citizens to ensure they ALL stop tyranny by all means acceptable and necessary, by engaging in the planned series of direct actions slated for October 1st and beyond.”
Shortly afterwards, Sowore announced his release via his X handle, saying, “I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me. #RevolutionNow.”