A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore N30 million in damages for unlawfully declaring him a wanted person.
Delivering the judgment, Justice M. Kakaki condemned the actions of Lagos State Commissioner of Police Moshood Jimoh and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, describing their conduct as unconstitutional and a violation of Sowore’s fundamental rights.
The case stemmed from events in late 2025, when the Lagos police reportedly warned Sowore on October 27 to avoid the state and subsequently declared him wanted on November 3. Sowore challenged these actions, arguing they were legally baseless and infringed on his constitutional rights.
After over an hour of deliberation, the court ruled that the police acted arbitrarily and exceeded their lawful authority. Justice Kakaki emphasized that barring Sowore from Lagos had no legal foundation and that declaring him wanted without a court order constituted an abuse of power.
The judgment highlighted that no person can be lawfully declared wanted without due process, including a court-issued warrant and evidence of evasion of legal proceedings. The court noted that the police actions violated Sowore’s rights to freedom of movement, expression, and peaceful civic engagement.
Justice Kakaki also held the Inspector-General of Police vicariously responsible for the Lagos Commissioner’s actions, stating that the violations merited strong judicial sanctions. Consequently, the court awarded N30 million in damages against the two senior police officers.
