Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, confronted officials of the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after they attempted to prevent him from entering the premises of the Federal High Court.
Sowore challenged the officers, stating that he was not former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, who is currently facing charges of financial misappropriation. He resisted every attempt to obstruct him and insisted on his right to access the court.
In a video posted on his X handle, Sowore accused security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), police, and civil defense, of hijacking the justice system. He alleged that they had unlawfully taken over the court premises due to Yahaya Bello’s appearance in court.
He further criticized the authorities for failing to arrest Bello when he was declared wanted, only managing to detain him after he voluntarily reported himself to the EFCC office in Abuja.
Addressing the security officers in the video, Sowore said, “Why are you shouting at me? Do I look like Yahaya Bello? I have business in court. I don’t need to be cleared by either the police or EFCC because none of you is an officer of the court. This is a Federal High Court; bring a court official, and I will talk to them. EFCC brought me to court, and they are still harassing us. You have no right to stand in front of the high court. You are not my lawyer and have no right to know my case.”
This is not the first time Sowore has clashed with security personnel. Recently, he alleged that the Nigeria Police Force planned to detain him over his criticism of the extension of Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun’s tenure.
Sowore had arrived at the Force Intelligence Headquarters following a police invitation after he uploaded a viral video exposing alleged extortion by officers at a checkpoint in Lagos. He was summoned to respond to allegations, including resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful orders, cyberstalking, and allegedly attempting to prevent arrests.
In a Facebook post, Sowore claimed that the police relied on “rehashed information” primarily sourced from the internet to interrogate him.
The justice system in Nigeria has been hijacked by uniformed, uncouth security agents ranging from @OfficialDSSNG, @PoliceNG, and @CivilDefenceNGR. Today, they mounted illegally in front of the court, harassing everybody because of a thief, Yahaya Bello @officialgybkogi. The same… pic.twitter.com/7FmJ8lYXOa
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) February 24, 2025
