Legal Nigeria

Sowore sues police officer ‘who fired teargas canister at him’

Sowore sues police officer ‘who fired teargas canister at him’

by Bolanle Olabimtan 

Omoyele Sowore, an activist, has instituted a suit against Altine Hyelhira Daniel, a police officer, for allegedly shooting him with a teargas canister on May 31, 2021.

Sowore’s aide had told TheCable that the activist was shot at by the police at the unity fountain, while he was trying to gain entrance into the place.

Protesters had converged on the fountain on May 31, but the police allegedly denied them entry into the facility.

Sowore was said to have been speaking with a detachment of police officers stationed at the public facility, when an officer shot at the crowd.

However, the police issued a statementsaying that the activist was not shot at by the police.

In a statement on Friday, Sowore said he has decided to seek redress in court.

He also said he sued another police officer who pointed a gun at him during the trial of Nnamdi Kanu at the federal high court in Abuja.

“On May 31, 2021, a Nigeria police force officer, CSP Altine Hyelhira Daniel, directed by the Muhammadu Buhari regime shot me at close range with a riot gun at the Unity Fountain in Abuja. Soon as she carried out the dastardly act, she ran away with the RRS police contingent under her command,” he said.

“Today, I took a decision for the sake of posterity to file a lawsuit against her and the police authorities at the federal high court in Abuja.

“Also, on July 26th 2021, another police officer, the Divisional Police Officer of the federal secretariat police station and his Divisional Crime Officer who violently arrested me while pointing a gun at me for attending Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s trial at the federal high court in Abuja.

“These police officers must be brought to justice or justice brought to them!”.