Nigerian pro-democracy activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has opened up in a candid reflection on how his 2019 arrest by the Nigerian government disrupted not only his political activism but also a personal commitment that had spanned years — his daily sports routine.
Speaking during a recent forum on civic resistance and personal resilience, Sowore detailed how his consistent morning sports streak came to a halt following his arrest in August 2019 by the Department of State Services (DSS). The arrest, which was triggered by his call for the #RevolutionNow protest movement, led to months of detention and a drawn-out legal battle.
“I had been running every single day without missing a beat for several years,” Sowore shared. “It was one of the ways I kept my mind clear and my body strong, especially in the midst of activism. But that streak ended the day I was abducted from my hotel room.”
Sowore’s streak, he said, was a form of discipline and personal protest — a way to maintain balance while challenging state corruption and repression. After his arrest, he was held incommunicado, denied access to proper legal representation for weeks, and later released under strict conditions that curtailed his freedom of movement.
Now, nearly six years later, Sowore continues to advocate for civil liberties, media freedom, and political reform in Nigeria. Despite multiple court cases and continued state harassment, he says the spirit of activism remains unbroken.
“I may have lost that streak, but I didn’t lose the fight,” he stated. “If anything, it reminded me that authoritarianism affects the personal just as much as the political.”