The Lagos State Police Command has declared human rights activist and convener of the RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, wanted for allegedly plotting to disrupt public peace in the state.
The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, announced this on Monday 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 intended to commit a serious felony by planning to obstruct traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge,” Jimoh stated.
According to the Commissioner, intelligence reports revealed a plan to cause hardship for Lagos residents and visitors through a proposed protest.
“We will not allow this to happen. We are closing in on him wherever he is. He should come down and face the law,” he warned.
Jimoh disclosed that 13 suspects connected to the planned protest have already been arrested, stressing that the demonstration was “unnecessary” since affected Oworonshoki residents had been duly compensated by the government.
“Those concerned have received compensation and continue to live peacefully. Sowore’s attempt to instigate violence in Lagos will not be tolerated,” he added.
He urged Lagosians to remain calm, assuring them of the Command’s preparedness to maintain order.
“Let him step into Lagos if he wishes. The police have coverage everywhere. The same way we located him in Abuja, he will face the law here too,” the CP asserted.
Sowore had earlier vowed to stage a protest against the recent demolitions in Oworonshoki, shortly after his release from detention.
Police Deny Attacking Residents During Oworonshoki Demolition
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has dismissed reports alleging that its officers attacked residents during the Oworonshoki demolition exercise.
In a statement signed by Command spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi, the police described such reports as “false and deliberately misleading.”
“The reports are entirely false and mischievously published to misinform the public,” the statement read.
The Command clarified that the demolition was conducted by the Lagos State Department of Urban Development and Planning, in collaboration with the State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, not by the police.
Also reacting, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, denied allegations that the government disobeyed a court order related to the demolition.
Sowore’s Recent Detention and Release
This development comes just days after Sowore’s release from Kuje Prison in Abuja, alongside Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, and others.
The Kuje Magistrate Court had granted them bail after they were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbance of public peace during the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest. Magistrate Abubakar Sai’id granted each defendant ₦500,000 bail with two sureties residing in the FCT and valid tax clearances.
Following his release, Ejimakor described their detention as “traumatic and inhumane,” accusing the police of excessive force, while Sowore’s lawyer, Temitope Temokun, alleged that his client was forcibly taken back to prison despite meeting bail conditions.
Sowore, in his own remarks, accused security operatives of launching an unprovoked attack on peaceful protesters during the Abuja rally.
