‘Illegal IG’: Adeyanju blasts police over Sowore’s arraignment

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has berated the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) for initiating charges against activist Omoyele Sowore over comments he made on social media, referring to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, as an “illegal IG.”

According to Adeyanju, the charges represent an abuse of the legal process, noting that the NPF is a complete embarrassment to Nigeria as a nation.

He stated: “How is calling Egbetokun an illegal IG a crime? The Nigerian Police is a complete embarrassment to Nigeria as a nation. That people in the legal department can allow such a ridiculous charge to be filed in the first place shows that there is no hope for that institution.

“The illegal IGP Egbetokun, who is remaining unconstitutionally in office, just filed the most frivolous charge in history against Omoyele Sowore. These guys are clowns with no shame whatsoever. The abuse of office is beyond ridiculous and embarrassing.”

The police on Wednesday arraigned Sowore on charges of cybercrime before Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court Abuja.

Sowore had rejected a revised bail condition imposed by police operatives at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) on Monday, insisting on remaining in detention.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of the FID, Dasuki Galandachi, had interrogated him at the Intelligence Bureau over a video he posted, alleging that the police on Airport Road in Lagos engaged in extortion.

In the video, some police operatives stopped his vehicle and asked him to park, but Sowore vehemently refused and posted the video with the caption, “Operation Resist @PoliceNG extortion on Nigerian highways! #RevolutionNow.”

He announced in a post he shared on his official X account on Monday that Galandachi informed him he would be granted bail.

Sowore said he was ordered to deposit his international passport and provide a level 17 civil servant as a guarantor for bail, but he declined the conditions and opted to remain in police detention.

The politician cum activist provided an update on his X handle, saying that his bail condition had been reduced, but he chose to decline it.

“UPDATE: The PoliceNG team assigned to my case has informed me that the DIG of FID, Dasuki Galandachi, has reevaluated my bail conditions, necessitating the production of a level 16 civil servant and the surrender of my international passport, a condition I have declined outright,” Sowore wrote.

The police later filed a 16-count charge of cybercrime against Sowore. In count three, the police accused him of calling Egbetokun “the illegal IG of Nigeria Police Force” on his X handle on December 20, 2024.

The police have also accused him of posting Egbetokun’s picture on his X handle with the caption: “Mediocrity, incompetence, corruption, a country run by characterless people cannot make progress.”

The police also alleged that Sowore, through his X handle, said, “IGP Kayode Egbetokun will destroy the Nigerian police if we don’t act now.”

The activist, however, pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of cybercrime.