A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has restrained the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, from declaring former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore wanted.
Sowore announced the ruling on his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, November 5, where he also took a swipe at the police chief, describing him as “incompetent.”
“I just left the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, where the court restrained the incompetent CP of @policeng Lagos Command, Moshood Jimoh, from declaring Omoyele Sowore WANTED,” he wrote.
The judgment comes amid ongoing friction between Sowore and the Nigerian Police Force, which he has repeatedly accused of “unlawful intimidation and political persecution.”
Earlier, Sowore had filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos Commissioner of Police. In the suit, numbered FHC/L/CS/1923/2025, he argued that moves to declare him wanted over a protest in Lagos were unlawful, defamatory, and intended to silence his activism.
He asked the court to protect his rights and stop the police from any further harassment, arrest, or public labeling that could endanger his safety or reputation. Sowore also sought compensation for what he described as a breach of his constitutional rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.
Reacting to the ruling, Sowore hailed it as a win for democracy and proof that “no one is above the law.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Lagos State Police Command had not issued any official response to the court’s decision.
