Legal counsel to human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has said that the police acted outside the law by declaring his client wanted.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, the counsel, Tope Temokun, stated that “there is no law in Nigeria that empowers the police to declare anybody wanted.”

He explained that under the law, declaring a person wanted is a legal process that must follow due procedure and be backed by a court order.

“When you are looking for somebody and cannot find him after a criminal complaint, investigation, or charge, and the person is evading arrest, that is when you can seek the order of the court,” he said.

The counsel added that “when you publish an individual as being wanted without the backing of a court order, you are not only committing a tortious act and defaming that individual, but also acting unconstitutionally. Declaring Sowore wanted in this manner is arbitrary and reflects total ignorance of the law they claim to be enforcing.”

Emphasising the constitutional rights of citizens, he said, “A Nigerian citizen has the right to freedom of movement and personal liberty as provided by the Constitution. Before you can declare a person a fugitive or outlaw, it must not stem from personal malice; it must follow due process backed by a court order.”

He further revealed that the matter is already before the court, which has granted an order restraining the Commissioner of Police from carrying out the effects of the declaration.

The counsel to Sowore, Tope Temokun, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.

His comments come amid the Federal High Court, Lagos, restraining the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood, and other security agencies from arresting Sowore.

It also restrained them from intimidating or declaring the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) wanted.

Sowore was declared wanted for allegedly plotting to disrupt public peace in the state. CP Jimoh announced this while addressing journalists in Lagos.

“I hereby, as the Commissioner of Police of the Lagos Police Command, declare Sowore wanted. “He is wanted for causing a disturbance of public peace and for acts to commit a serious felony by planning to obstruct traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge,” Jimoh said.

He said the police had uncovered plans to cause hardship for Lagos residents and visitors through the proposed protest.

Police authorities have defended the use of teargas on people who gathered for the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest around a major route in Abuja on Monday, arguing that the action was to prevent damage to critical infrastructure in the heart of the nation’s capital.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Monday, said the move was in line with a court order which restricted the protesters from converging around Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way.


“You see, FCT is very big. You can protest anywhere and your voices will still be heard, it will still be reported by the press,” he told the show host Seun Okinbaloye from Channels Television’s Abuja Studio.

“These are critical infrastuture that needs to be protected and don’t forget that these are places that protests have happened in the past and things were destroyed. We have records of that. So, it is our duty as an agency to protect lives and properties; to ensure law and order.

“So, whatever step – all lawful steps – we need to take to achieve that mandate is what we’ll take and that was what we did.”

Protesters had on Monday converged near Transcorp Hilton and other areas in the Federal Capital Territory for the demonstrations.

But police operatives and other security personnel had arrived early and fire tear gas to disperse the protesters. Security agents were stationed along major routes leading to Aso Rock while there was heavy presence of officers at Eagle Square, Unity Fountain, and the Three Arms Zone.

Access roads to the Federal Secretariat and the Three Arms Zone were also barricaded.

On Sunday, the police had warned the protesters to comply with a court order restricting demonstrations in designated high-security areas of the capital.

But the leader of the protest, Omoyele Sowore, told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief that the organisers had informed the police about the protest in advance.

Sowore, an activist, alleged that some protesters “were arrested and bystanders were forced into police vehicles”.

“There were about 10 trucks that arrived at the same time we began the protest. There was no provocation on our part. As we had promised, it was an orderly and peaceful protest. It was an unprovoked attack from the police and a combined team of security operatives,” he said.

“We had just started the protest in front of the Transcorp Hotel when a huge contingent of police, army and civil defence officers showed up. We told them we were not their enemies and that the protest was not against them.

“But suddenly, from nowhere, they began shooting at us,tear gas and even some live bullets. Luckily, I don’t think anyone was hit by live ammunition, but they were shooting all around us.

“Eventually, they arrested some people. I heard that Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother was arrested and beaten, and so was his lawyer. They have been taken to the FCT Command,” the activist explained.

Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), was first arrested in 2015. He was granted bail in 2017 but fled Nigeria following the invasion of his home in Abia State.

In 2021, the IPOB leader was brought back to the country for the continuation of his trial. He is facing charges of terrorism and treasonable felony.

Women’s rights activist and development advocate, Ene Obi, has advocated for social amenities, benefits and protection for commercial sex workers if they are made to pay taxes.

Obi made this call on Saturday when she featured in an interview programme on Arise Television.

She said that more than 100 million Nigerians are living below the poverty line, stressing that the burden of poverty often falls on women.

“When you are talking about taxation and you are talking about commercial sex workers, I think we need to step back a little because of issues of human rights.

“You are looking at taxation and tax justice, who are you taxing? If you are looking at Nigeria right now, I will say more than 100 million Nigerians are living below the poverty line, and the burden of poverty often falls on women.

“So, if sex workers are made to pay taxes, they should also have access to social amenities, benefits, and protection. They face gender-based violence more,” she said.