Sowore Detained, Released Upon Returning For October 1 Protest

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, was briefly detained and then released by the Nigerian Immigration Service upon his arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday.

GWG.ng reports that Sowore’s detention happened just as members of the Take It Back Movement and other activists had gathered at the airport to welcome him.

Sowore had been in the United States visiting family and left Washington Dulles International Airport at 6:14 AM EDT. He landed in Lagos around 9:43 AM WAT.

Speaking to journalists, Sowore confirmed that immigration officials had detained him and seized his passport. He mentioned that no specific reason was given for his detention, with authorities saying they were following orders from higher-ups and needed to check with Abuja for further instructions.

On his official X account, Sowore later revealed details about his detention. He wrote, “I had just arrived in Nigeria from the USA at MMIA in Lagos; upon reaching Nigerian Immigration, my passport was seized, and they told me they had orders to detain me.”

He continued, “This is not unexpected because I have always known that it is part of the broader clampdown by the fascist @officialAbat regime on dissent and their fear of the upcoming #FearlessINOctober revolt.” Sowore urged citizens to take action against tyranny if his detention became prolonged.

Sowore also updated his followers saying he had been released via X, writing, “I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me. #RevolutionNow”

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