Nigerian politician and activist, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the snatching of his Ray-Ban AI glasses during Monday’s police protest in Abuja was a deliberate act orchestrated by officers intent on stopping him from recording misconduct.

Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Sowore explained that the incident, which was captured on video and has since gone viral, was not random.

According to him, the police had been monitoring his use of gadgets for months due to his documentation of alleged bribery and misconduct.

“I know that they planned this. They’ve been having issues with me recording police misconduct with these glasses in the last six months. In fact, one of the reasons I was charged to court by the IGP in February was because I recorded policemen on the way to the airport demanding bribes. It was part of my charges,” he said

Sowore claimed that conversations from police WhatsApp groups that were later leaked showed officers warning colleagues about his recording devices.

“They cautioned: ‘If you come across Sowore, be careful. He’s always had glasses with him. He has all these gadgets, and you don’t know where they are located,’” he stated.

The activist said he has used the AI-powered glasses to expose various instances of misconduct within the police force. He believes Monday’s incident was an attempt to gain access to stored recordings.

“I think they want to see if they can hack into the glasses, see if I have footage there they can use, or find out what footage is in there. But the foolish thing about this is that most of the footage is stored in the cloud. Even if you delete one, there will still be something somewhere left,” Sowore explained.

A viral video from the protest showed a man snatching glasses from Sowore amidst the chaos. Despite the loss, he remained defiant, stating that others at the protest also captured the theft on their phones.

In February, the Sahara Reporters publisher was charged to court by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over allegations of recording policemen who were allegedly demanding bribes on the road to Abuja airport.

The charge formed part of a broader case that Sowore claims was intended to silence his activism and documentation of alleged misconduct within the Nigerian Police Force.

Monday’s protest was staged by retired police officers demanding better welfare and pension payments. The retired personnel marched to the Force Headquarters in Abuja to express grievances about poor conditions of service and neglect of police families.

Sowore, who was part of the demonstration, described it as “historic” and a step toward advocating for a fairer policing system in Nigeria. (Channels TV, but headline rejigged)