The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who is currently in detention.
The demand was issued by the NLC National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a strongly-worded statement released late Wednesday. The union expressed deep concern over what it described as “unending and arbitrary arrests” of the activist, who has been a vocal critic of the government.
Sowore was detained by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit in Abuja on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, after honoring a police invitation over a petition alleging forgery and incitement. However, as of the time of filing this report, the identity of the petitioner and the content of the petition have not been disclosed publicly.
In its statement, the NLC strongly condemned what it described as an emerging pattern of suppression of civil liberties, especially targeting individuals critical of those in power.
“If Sowore has offended any powerful person in or outside government, the right thing to do is to seek redress through legal means — not through harassment or unlawful detention,” Ajaero stated.
He questioned the frequency of Sowore’s arrests in recent times, asking, “How many times has Sowore been arrested this year alone?”
The labour union emphasized that freedom of speech and association are fundamental rights protected under the Nigerian constitution and should never be violated for political convenience.
“It is dangerous when the state begins to criminalize dissent or detain individuals arbitrarily. Today it is Sowore; tomorrow, it could be a journalist, a trade unionist, or an ordinary citizen,” the statement warned.
The NLC noted that the current actions of the government could undermine democracy, stating that a democratic government must respect the rule of law and constitutional liberties, no matter how uncomfortable those freedoms may be.
“We must not return to the dark days of dictatorship, where citizens lived in fear, and every voice of dissent was crushed with brute force,” the NLC asserted.
According to the union, detaining Sowore without due process “tarnishes the country’s image” both locally and internationally, and sets a dangerous precedent for future civic engagement.
Demands and Solidarity
