Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday stormed the Nigeria Police Force Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command in Abuja to protest the arrest and continued detention of a woman, TracyNither Nicolas Ohiri, over a disputed N250 million claim.
Ohiri was reportedly arrested in Lagos on allegations of cyberbullying and subsequently transferred to Abuja. The dispute is said to stem from a 12-year-old transaction between her and Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi. According to sources familiar with the matter, the woman alleges that she supplied goods to Umahi over a decade ago but was not paid after she allegedly declined his sexual advances. The minister has not publicly responded to the allegation.
In a video now trending online, it is reported that sources within the FCT Police Command claim that upon her arrival in Abuja, a closed-door meeting was convened at the command headquarters involving the minister and the detained woman. It was during this meeting, witnesses allege, that tensions escalated before Sowore’s arrival reportedly brought the session to an abrupt end.
Sowore questioned the basis of her detention, describing the matter as a civil dispute that should not warrant prolonged police custody. He also reportedly had a confrontation at the command with an Abuja-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria, A.A. Ibrahim, though details of the exchange remain unclear.
As of press time, the FCT Police Command had not granted Ohiri bail, and no official statement had been issued regarding the circumstances surrounding her arrest or the allegations made against the minister.
