The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has issued an interim injunction restraining the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police from harassing, arresting, or labeling human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore as a “wanted person.”
Justice Musa Kakaki delivered the ruling on Wednesday, suspending the controversial declaration made by Commissioner Moshood Jimoh on November 3, 2025, pending a full hearing on Sowore’s motion. The order also halts any actions stemming from the declaration, which Sowore’s legal team described as unlawful and baseless.
Sowore, founder of the #RevolutionNow movement and 2019 presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit seeking ₦500 million in damages. The suit accuses the police, Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, and Jimoh of violating his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, freedom of expression, and movement under Sections 34, 35, 39, 40, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The controversy erupted on November 3 during a protest in Lagos, where Commissioner Jimoh publicly branded Sowore a “wanted person” via media statements while police dispersed demonstrators near the Oworonshoki Bridge. Sowore, who had traveled to Lagos to join the rally despite warnings, emphasized in his affidavit that he received no prior invitation, arrest warrant, or formal charges, violating due process.
“I am a law-abiding citizen and, if invited for a lawful investigation, I would have honored such invitation,” Sowore stated in the court filing. He described the declaration as a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation as a journalist, pro-democracy advocate, and former candidate, aimed at silencing his activism.
The suit, filed by a team of lawyers including Tope Temokun, Inibehe Effiong, and Deji Adeyanju, requests substituted service on the respondents due to potential evasion and an urgent injunction to prevent further intimidation.
Emerging from the courtroom, Sowore lambasted Jimoh as “incompetent” and “politically biased,” recounting past clashes. “Do you remember the man who worked with Saraki in Kwara State? In 2019, when they arrested a journalist who now runs Peoples Gazette, he was the Police PRO disastrous and unprofessional,” Sowore said, alleging Jimoh once ordered tear gas against protesters.
He mocked the commissioner’s televised claim that “nobody has a right to protest in Lagos,” vowing to pursue the full suit for the ₦500 million. “When I get it, I will use it to buy more eba, which is where I get my strength from,” Sowore quipped, drawing laughter from supporters.
Turning serious, Sowore urged Nigerians to rise against systemic injustices. “We don’t need Donald Trump to tell us these people are problematic. It can’t get worse than this. You are already slaves in your own country, submerged by poverty, unemployment, and all kinds of health issues.”
He broadened his critique to the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, tying its actions to his labeling of President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.” Sowore rejected narrow definitions of genocide, arguing that state-induced hunger, corruption, and demolitions constitute “genocide against everybody in Nigeria, against Muslims and Christians alike.”
“My fight for justice does not consider whether you are Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. I am for everybody, whether you like me or not,” he affirmed, crediting his legal team’s dedication and the judge’s diligence.
Lead counsel Tope Temokun, who drove from Ondo State to file the suit, hailed the ruling as a validation of judicial independence. “The declaration made by the Commissioner of Police on November 3, 2025, is now void. We must return powers to our courts.”
Temokun likened trust in the judiciary to marriage: “The fact that you are married does not mean you uncritically trust your spouse, but you need to commit.” He stressed that police lack unilateral power to declare individuals “wanted” without investigation and promised to prove illegality and secure damages for Nigerians.
The lawyer noted the judge’s handwritten ruling after an exhaustive review, urging collective action: “If we come together and insist on what is right, we can rescue the nation.”
Sowore’s activism has long clashed with state power. In 2019, he was arrested for treason over #RevolutionNow protests, enduring alleged brutality, including a broken hand by a police officer, before charges were dropped in 2021. He claims credit for advocating police promotions, yet faced reprisals.
The post “No Invitation, Warrant, Or Charges” — Court Rules Police Commissioner’s Public Labeling Of Sowore Violated Due Process appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.