‘Illegal IGP’: Egbetokun Files Criminal Charge Against Sowore

Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), has filed a criminal charge against Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Sowore uploaded a copy of the charge sheet on his X handle on Tuesday.

“These have to be some of the most ridiculous charges ever filed by Nigerian law enforcement agents. Omoyele Sowore to face charges for calling retired and fired IGP Kayode Egbetokun ‘Illegal IGP’,” Sowore commented.

The available court document containing three counts, showed that the charge was filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja. All the counts centered around Sowore’s description of Egbetokun as an illegal police head.

Egbetokun was expected to have exited public service having attained the statutory retirement age of 60 years in September 2024. But the National Assembly controversially altered the Nigeria Police Act and President Bola Tinubu assented to the alteration, allowing him to stay in office for up to four years as police chief.

The charges read, “That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 13th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did intentionally and knowingly send messages through your verified X handle account “Omoyele Sowore” and cause a publication against the Inspector General of Police where you called him “…illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun” which you know to be false, for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order and you caused the message to be sent and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 as Amended (2024) and punishable under section 24(2)(c) (ii) of the same Act.

“That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 13th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did intentionally and knowingly cause the transmission of messages through your verified X handle account “Omoyele Sowore” links and cause a publication against the Inspector General of Police where you called him “…illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun” which you know to be false and tagged the verified Nigeria Police Force X handle @policeNG, containing threats to insight the Nigerians against the Nigeria Police Force and harm it property or reputation of the Inspector General of Police or the Nigeria Police Force and thereby committed an offence and punishable under section 24(2)(c) (ii)of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 as Amended 2024.

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“That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 20th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did intentionally and knowingly send messages through your verified X handle account “Omoyele Sowore” and cause a publication against the Inspector General of Police where you called him “The illegal IG of Nigeria Police Force, Kayode Egbetokun will make the next #ENDSARS inevitable! He is working tirelessly towards it. Just a matter of time #EgbetekunMustGo #Revolution” which you know to be false, for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order and caused the message to be sent and thereby committed an offence contrary to section…”