The Nigeria Police Force has returned the AI-powered Ray-Ban Meta glasses stolen from activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, during Monday’s protest in Abuja—an incident he claims was a targeted attempt to stop him from recording police misconduct.
Sowore disclosed this in a statement on his social media handles on Tuesday.
“Today, the Nigeria Police Force returned my stolen Ray-Ban Meta eyeglasses, taken by the National Thief, Aku Victor Chiemerie, to me!” he wrote.
The activist alleged that the snatching of the glasses during the demonstration by retired police officers was not a random act but a calculated move by operatives who had been monitoring his activities for months.
“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,” Sowore said.
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He claimed that leaked conversations from police WhatsApp groups showed officers warning colleagues about his gadgets. According to him, the AI glasses—used to document alleged bribery and abuse—have long been a source of concern for the police.
Sowore suggested that the motive behind the seizure was to access stored recordings. “I think they want to see if they can hack into the glasses, see if I have footage they can use, or find out what is in there. But the foolish thing about this is that most of the footage is stored in the cloud,” he said.
A viral video from the protest captured the moment a man snatched the glasses from Sowore in the crowd. Other demonstrators reportedly recorded the theft on their phones.
The activist’s February court case, filed by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, included charges related to filming policemen allegedly demanding bribes on the Abuja airport road—part of what Sowore describes as a broader attempt to silence his activism.
