Nigerian activist and political figure Omoyele Sowore has issued a stern warning to the Nigerian public, urging them to exercise caution when dealing with the country’s law enforcement authorities.
In a tweet, Sowore, founder of the investigative news platform Sahara Reporters and a former presidential candidate, suggested that the Nigerian Police Force could betray citizens’ trust in the future.
He was making reference to reports that police operatives handed “pure water” to protesters on October 1 in Lagos.
His words: “Nigeria @PoliceNG will happily spike your ‘pure water’ with cyanide someday soon, the police that arrested and falsely charged your comrades with TREASON, a capital offence is setting you up to trust their benevolence.
“Goodluck with those who are arranged and accepted this. You’ll all learn someday, hopefully you do now before it is too late.”
In 2019, Sowore was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for organizing a nationwide protest under the banner #RevolutionNow, which aimed to address corruption, insecurity, and bad governance.
He was charged with treason and detained for several months, sparking both national and international outrage.
Many viewed his arrest as a politically motivated move designed to silence government critics, which only deepened the distrust between activists and law enforcement.