Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has been released shortly after being detained upon his arrival at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Sunday.
Sowore, who had just returned from the United States, was held by Nigerian Immigration officers, and his passport was seized without explanation.
Sowore confirmed his detention on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating, “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 described the event as part of what he called a “broader clampdown” by the current regime, linking it to the upcoming #FearlessInOctober protests.
Despite the brief detention, Sowore was released just minutes later, as he announced in a follow-up post, “I have just been released by the Nigerian Immigration after a brief detention and my passport released back to me. #RevolutionNow.”
This incident occurred amid rising anticipation for the October 1st protests organized by Sowore and his supporters, aimed at challenging the current government’s actions.
