A Federal High Court judge in Abuja has struck out a cybercrime case filed against Omoyele Sowore by former Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun for calling him an “illegal IGP” on social media.
The judge struck out the case upon an application by Sowore’s lawyers that the case “lacked merit, and constituted an abuse of legal process”.
Earlier in the morning, Sowore stated on X that “The cybercrime trial linked to disgraced former illegal IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, has been stood down for ruling on our lawyers’ application to strike out the case”.
FIJ reported in January 2025 that Egbetokun had initiated the case following Sowore’s repeated description of his tenure as police chief illegal.
Per the long-held practice in public service, Egbetokun was expected to retire from service in September 2024, by which time he had attained mandatory his retirement age.
But shortly before then, the National Assembly reworded the Police Act permit an incumbent IGP to serve out a four-year tenure regardless of their retirement age.
President Tinubu then approved a tenure extension for Egbetokun despite public misgivings. On this basis, Sowore believed that the officer was occupying his office illegally.
By January 2025, Egbetokun headed to court in his official capacity to challenge Sowore’s action.
The charges levelled against Sowore included:
“That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 13th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 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.
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“That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 13th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 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[sic] 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.
“That you, OMOLEYE SOWORE, that on the 20th day of December, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable 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…”
On February 24, Tinubu said Egbetokun had resigned. He then appointed Tunji Disu to fill the vacancy.
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