US Senator Warns Buhari Over Sowore’s Rearrest

A US Senator, Robert Menendez, has warned the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari over the re-arrest of activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Naija News reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday night had released Sowore after spending 124 days in detention.

This was following a court ruling ordering DSS to release him in the next 24 hours.

However, the secret police on Friday morning re-arrested Sowore in the premises of the Federal High court, Abuja and reportedly took the activist to the DSS headquarters.

Reacting in a statement, Menendez, a member of the senate foreign relations committee, said America and the world is watching the saga.

He said: “The United States is watching and the world is watching. I fear that the blatant harassment of Mr Omoyele Sowore, an activist and journalist whose only crime appears to be exercising his right to free expression, is becoming symptomatic of increasingly closing political and civic space in Nigeria.

“The Nigerian court has twice ordered his release on bail. And the state security agencies openly defied the court order each time leaving me to conclude that either Nigeria no longer respects the rule of law or President Buhari is woefully out of touch with what agents of his governments are doing in his name.

“This is unacceptable in a country that calls itself a democracy. Journalists who risk their lives to expose the truth should be celebrated, not incarcerated.

“It is unacceptable to that the husband and father of a US citizen with such blatant cruelty. Today, my office contacted our ambassador in Nigeria in an effort to obtain answers on what actions the United States is taking on the Sowore family’s behalf.

“In the next several days, I’ll continue to engage with the states department in Washington to ascertain the impart of what the arrest of Mr Sowore and other activists and journalists will have on our relationship with Nigeria. My hope is that the bilateral relationship we have with Nigeria will be reassessed in light of these events.”