The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday delivered a landmark judgment against the Nigeria Police Force, ruling that the declaration of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore as “wanted” in October last year was unlawful and unconstitutional.
In a judgment delivered by Musa Kaakaki, the court held that the action of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, in declaring Sowore wanted without a valid court warrant amounted to an abuse of power. The court subsequently awarded ₦30 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force.
The suit, filed as a fundamental rights enforcement action, also listed the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, among the respondents. The court emphasized that law enforcement agencies must operate within constitutional limits and cannot arbitrarily label citizens as wanted without due process.
Justice Kaakaki, in his ruling, reportedly stressed that no Nigerian should be criminalised for exercising constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, including freedom of movement, expression and peaceful assembly. He held that the police action violated Sowore’s fundamental rights and declared it null and void.
Reacting to the judgment, Sowore described the ruling as a “resounding blow” against what he termed police high-handedness. He maintained that the decision sends a clear message that abuse of state power carries consequences.
Sowore’s counsel, Barrister Tope Temokun, who anchored the case, was commended for what supporters described as diligent and courageous legal representation throughout the proceedings
