Sowore Arrives Abuja Court As ‘Illegal IGP’ Egbetokun Drags Him Over Alleged Forgery, Cyberbullying
Sowore arrived at the court premises at about 8:52 a.m. carrying a travelling bag and accompanied by a crowd of supporters.
Human rights activist and publisher of SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore, arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday to face charges filed against him by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Sowore arrived at the court premises at about 8:52 a.m. carrying a travelling bag and accompanied by a crowd of supporters.
Ahead of the proceedings, he had urged members of the public to attend the hearing in Court 8 before Justice Emeka Nwite, stressing that the case against him was nothing more than a political witch-hunt.
The Inspector-General of Police is accusing Sowore of forging a police wireless message — CB:0900/IGP.SEC/ABJ/VOL.177/174 DTO:301605/07/2025 — issued by the IGP’s Secretariat on July 30, 2025, and sharing it on social media with the “intent to tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police Force.”
In his reaction on Tuesday, Sowore dismissed the charges as a “charade,” branding IGP Kayode Egbetokun an “illegal IGP” and accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of resorting to the same failed repressive tactics deployed under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Tomorrow, we are before Justice Emeka Nwite as the Illegal IGP hits the brick wall. These are his charges, his ‘evidence’ and witnesses. The public is invited to Court 8 at the Federal Court in Abuja to witness this charade. Time: 8AM,” Sowore declared in one of his posts.
He further alleged that Egbetokun had tried to lure him into private meetings, which he rejected, saying: “I am not interested in meetings with crooks and criminals. I can’t be an accessory to their crimes against the Nigerian people, and they won’t learn until this regime, the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is finally disgraced too.”
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Justice Emeka Nwite of the same court granted an ex parte motion filed by the police, directing six banks — UBA, GTB, Zenith Bank, Opay, Moniepoint, and Kuda Microfinance Bank — to hand over Sowore’s account details from January 2024 to date.
The IGP’s lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, had claimed that Sowore and the Sahara Reporters Media Foundation were being investigated for terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent activities.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite said: “I’m of the view and so hold that the application is meritorious. The prayer is hereby granted as prayed.”
The police had told the court that Sowore was allegedly using multiple bank accounts for terrorism financing and illicit money flows.
Sowore, however, insists the case is a desperate attempt by the Nigerian government to muzzle him and silence dissent.
