The Commissioner of Police (CP) of the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Sogunle, has stated that former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore is being detained because he refused to make a statement regarding two petitions filed against him.

Sowore is currently in police custody after he honoured an invitation by the force on Thursday.

Since his detention on Thursday, the public has been calling for clarity, urging the police to state the reason for keeping him in custody.

A protest broke out on Friday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, with demonstrators calling for his unconditional release.

Addressing the protesters, Shogunle said, "Two petitions against Omoyele Sowore were shown to him in the presence of his two lawyers, one bordered on forgery, forgery of police documents, which he published online. And we all know the position of the law. It is your duty to provide the source or how you came about the documents. Then the second petition has to do with cyberbullying, regarding a false allegation.

The petitions were shown to him in the presence of the two lawyers, but the issue now is that he refused to make statements in the presence of his lawyers. It is on record.

"He refused to make a written statement. The procedure under Nigerian law is very clear. When an allegation is made against you, you are called upon. You must put down your own position. If you cannot write, it is not compulsory that you write in English. If you cannot write, somebody will write for you, read and interpret for you, and you sign."

ASA