Lagos CP insists Sowore is wanted
Moshood Jimoh, Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, has once again restated that human rights activist and the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, remains wanted for attempting to cause public disturbance in the state.
Jimoh made this known on Monday while receiving some social activists on a courtesy visit at the command’s headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The CP noted that following his first declaration, a lawyer reached out to him demanding to know where Sowore should submit himself, and he directed the legal department of the command to liaise with the lawyer, but Sowore has yet to show up.
Jimoh stressed that while there is no timeframe for arresting a wanted person, the command has been on Sowore’s trail and will arrest him soon.
He explained that he had not been served any court order restraining him from arresting Sowore, adding that he had directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in the state to arrest him anywhere he is seen, except in a courtroom.
Jimoh said, “There is no time limit for arresting Sowore. He has been declared wanted, and wherever he is seen within Lagos State, he will be arrested.
“I am not aware of any court order, nor have I been served any court order that restrains me from arresting Sowore. The police are a respecter of the law. If there’s any court order today, I will equally comply with the court order.”
Speaking on the constitutionality of the declaration, Jimoh noted that he has the constitutional backing to declare Sowore wanted without a court order as part of his duty to maintain law and order in the state.
“Section 215 (1b), (4), and (5) of the Nigerian Constitution gave the Commissioner of Police, who is myself as the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, the right to ensure law and order, protection of lives and property, and public safety and security as I deem fit.
“If that is the provision of the constitution, I think it is neither ambiguous nor controversial. As I deem fit, I will be proactive in ensuring that anybody who wants to come into Lagos to cause mayhem, destroy property or lives, or threaten the existence of Nigerians living in Lagos is declared wanted. That is the power under the constitution upon which I declared Sowore wanted,” Jimoh added.
He reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property and urged social activists to always consider the implications of their actions on the well-being of other members of society.
He noted that any attempt to block the Third Mainland Bridge under the guise of a protest not only puts road users at risk but also undermines the integrity of the bridge and poses a threat to the country’s economy.
In his remarks, Dr Segun Awosanya, a social activist, also known as Segalink, stressed that the actions of individuals parading themselves as activists to endanger society have made the work of the police more difficult and eroded the principle of patriotism.
Awosanya said, “All the insecurity that foreign countries are criticising us for today is because of the maltreatment of the Nigerian Police system. We have intimated all arms of government, including the Presidency, from 2015 downwards, on the need to reinforce, reposition, reorganise, and re-energise the Nigeria Police Force.
“We have seen in modern times how people call themselves activists to cause danger to their own society, and they do things without consequences. Police work has become more difficult than ever before.
“A lot of people are into activism for the grants they are going to get, and they don’t understand the position of patriotism. That is why we have come to reinforce our support for the Nigeria Police.”
He concluded that they would continue to advocate against lawlessness in the guise of activism.
This is the third time the Lagos CP has declared Sowore wanted over his plans to mobilise protesters to block the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos in protest against the demolition exercise carried out by the state government in the Oworonshoki area.
Sowore had earlier rejected the wanted status and described it as unlawful. The activist argued that no police officer, including the commissioner, has the power to declare someone wanted without a court-issued warrant.
He had also claimed that the declaration stemmed from police officers’ failure to execute the alleged shoot-at-sight order during the Oworonshoki protest, an allegation that the CP refuted.
