Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Human rights activist and presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of President Bola Tinubu of orchestrating a sustained campaign of persecution against him, his family, associates and supporters, alleging that the government has repeatedly targeted every aspect of his life in a failed attempt to break his resolve. Sowore made this known in a statement on Monday, 13 July 2026, insisting that despite years of intimidation, arrests, prosecutions, harassment and personal losses, those behind the alleged persecution had failed to silence him.
According to Sowore, successive Nigerian governments, culminating in the current APC administration under President Tinubu, have relentlessly persecuted him for his activism and political beliefs. He explained that the authorities deliberately targeted his education, leading to his expulsion from the university on two occasions, and later seized his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate in an attempt to prevent him from securing employment after graduation. The activist also accused the government of repeatedly confiscating his travel documents, particularly his international passport, stating that the actions were carried out through the use of "wicked judges" and the Department of State Services (DSS), resulting in prolonged separation from his family.
Sowore noted that he had been imprisoned, prosecuted, physically assaulted and subjected to persistent harassment, while those close to him had also been targeted. He added that his brother was murdered as part of the persecution he said had been directed against him. He said the people who have ruined Nigeria for decades, and today, the All Progressives Congress government under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have repeatedly directed their persecution at him, his family, his comrades, his colleagues, and his friends. He said they targeted his education, resulting in his expulsion from the university twice. He said they seized his NYSC certificate, hoping he would never secure employment after graduation. He said they have repeatedly confiscated his travel documents, especially his international passport, keeping him separated from his family for extended periods. He said they have imprisoned him, prosecuted him, assaulted him, harassed those around him, murdered his brother, and tried to break his resolve. But he declared that they have failed, and that persecution cannot defeat conviction, and these acts will not delay their day of judgment.
Sowore's brother, Felix Olajide Sowore, a pharmacy student at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, was murdered on 4 September 2021, while returning from school in Benin City. Sowore has consistently alleged that his brother was killed by agents of the former President Muhammadu Buhari's regime as an act of retaliation. Marking the third anniversary of his brother's death in September 2024, Sowore wrote that his murder remains unsolved because he was killed by those who should have done so, agents of the Muhammadu Buhari regime. Despite promises by Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki at the time to bring the killers to justice, no arrests have been made, and neither the Buhari administration nor the current Tinubu government has taken any known action to bring Olajide's killers to justice.
The activist has also been embroiled in a protracted legal battle with the DSS over social media posts in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as "a criminal." The DSS filed a two-count cybercrime charge against Sowore in December 2025, alleging offences under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024. The offending posts, made on 25 August 2025, were in response to President Tinubu's claim, made during a visit to Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria. The DSS demanded that X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore's accounts and remove the posts, and also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts. Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
On 16 June 2026, Justice Muhammed Umar revoked Sowore's bail after he failed to appear in court for the continuation of his trial, despite having written a letter explaining his absence and requesting an adjournment. The prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the request, describing Sowore's absence as a "delay tactic," and the court granted the oral application for bail revocation. Sowore was subsequently remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre. On 30 June 2026, the court restored his bail but imposed stringent conditions, including N200 million bail with two sureties and an order to surrender his international passport. The passport seizure has been a recurring issue, with critics condemning the continued confiscation as an abuse of power and a threat to democratic freedoms.
Sowore's recent statement has drawn renewed attention to what rights groups describe as a pattern of persecution targeting government critics. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Tinubu administration to immediately and unconditionally release Sowore and drop all charges against him, describing his detention and prosecution as unjustified and an attack on fundamental human rights. SERAP argued that Nigeria, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is bound by international human rights obligations protecting freedom of expression and the right to criticise public officials without fear of criminal sanctions. Despite the mounting criticism, the government has not indicated any intention to drop the charges. Sowore, however, remains defiant, insisting that the persecution will not break his resolve.
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