The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay ₦30 million in damages to activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore for unlawfully declaring him wanted.
In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Musa Kakaki ruled that the police action violated constitutional safeguards and amounted to an abuse of power. The court held both the force and its top leadership accountable, awarding damages jointly against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh.
Justice Kakaki, in a strongly worded decision, reaffirmed that no Nigerian can be criminalised for exercising constitutionally guaranteed rights, including freedom of expression, peaceful protest, and holding public authorities accountable.
The court ruled that the 27 October 2025 directive by Commissioner Jimoh ordering Sowore to stay away from Lagos State was arbitrary and beyond the powers granted to the police under the law. It further nullified the public notice issued on 3 November 2025 declaring the activist wanted, describing it as illegal, ultra vires, and a grave abuse of authority.
Tracing the historical evolution of “wanted” declarations in Nigeria, the judge stressed that strict procedural safeguards must be followed. According to the court, a citizen can only be declared wanted pursuant to a valid court-issued warrant, proper notice, and credible evidence that the individual is deliberately evading lawful judicial process.
Sowore was declared wanted on 3 November 2025 after he allegedly sought to mobilise a protest on the Third Mainland Bridge over the demolition of properties in Oworonshoki, a waterfront community in Lagos.
The declaration followed an earlier warning from the commissioner in October directing the activist to keep out of the state.
Challenging the move, Sowore filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit against the police authorities. He asked the court to protect his rights to dignity, personal liberty, freedom of movement, expression, and peaceful assembly under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In an affidavit, Sowore maintained that he was declared wanted without prior invitation, arrest warrant, or formal charge. He argued that the action damaged his reputation as a journalist and public figure.
Through his lawyer, Tope Temokun, he told the court he would have honoured any lawful invitation by the authorities. He sought ₦500 million in general and exemplary damages and asked the court to restrain the police from further harassment or intimidation.
The police opposed the suit, insisting the commissioner acted within his legal powers. They argued that Sowore had failed to honour an agreement to report to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Yaba and that anyone dissatisfied with police actions could seek judicial redress.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television on 5 November 2025, Commissioner Jimoh defended his decision.
“My declaration that Sowore is wanted is still in force,” he said at the time, explaining that Sowore’s lawyer had contacted him while he was managing a riot situation and was referred to the Officer-in-Charge of the Legal Department. According to him, the lawyer agreed that Sowore would appear at the SCID in Yaba, but he failed to do so.
“We will do everything within the ambit of the law to get him arrested, investigated, and prosecuted,” Jimoh said during the broadcast.
He also dismissed allegations that the Inspector-General had ordered Sowore to be “shot on sight,” describing the claim as misinformation and insisting that no such directive was issued.
In its final orders, the court awarded ₦30 million in damages – significantly lower than the ₦500 million sought – but delivered a stern rebuke to the police hierarchy.
