The counsel to human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, of “executive lawlessness” and “open defiance of the rule of law,” following the CP’s insistence that Sowore “remains wanted” despite a valid court order restraining such action.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, described the Police Commissioner’s comments as “a reckless display of contempt of court” and “a descent into anarchy.”
“Once again, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, has chosen to walk the path of anarchy and open defiance of the rule of law,” Temokun said. “His latest declaration, that Omoyele Sowore ‘remains wanted’ despite a valid interim order of the Federal High Court restraining the Police and the Commissioner himself from giving effect to that unlawful declaration, is not only a reckless display of executive lawlessness, but also a direct contempt of court.”
The lawyer accused the Police Commissioner of dragging the image of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) “into shameful disrepute” by publicly repudiating the authority of the court.
According to Temokun, “His words are not just careless; they are an invitation to anarchy, an open challenge to judicial authority, and an affront to constitutional order.”
Citing constitutional provisions, Temokun argued that the police lacked the unilateral power to declare any citizen wanted without judicial authorisation.
“No police officer in Nigeria, including a Commissioner of Police, has the constitutional power to declare a citizen ‘wanted’ without following due process of law or without the authorization of a competent court of law,” he stated. “Section 215 of the Constitution does not confer arbitrary powers; it vests the Police with duties subject to the rule of law and the supervision of the courts. The CP’s reliance on that section is a misreading of the Constitution and a mockery of democratic governance.”
He further noted that “the same Constitution that he cites in part also establishes the courts as the ultimate interpreters of the law. Therefore, any act that undermines a subsisting court order is not policing; it is insurrection against lawful authority.”
Temokun called on the Police Service Commission (PSC) to immediately intervene, insisting that the Lagos Police Commissioner must be called to order.
“A serving Commissioner of Police cannot openly mock a court order and remain in office without consequence,” he said. “If this impunity is allowed to stand, it sends a dangerous signal that the orders of our courts are not worth the paper on which they are written.”
The lawyer demanded that CP Jimoh “purge himself of contempt” and “desist immediately from any act that undermines the court’s authority or threatens the liberty and safety of Mr. Omoyele Sowore.”
“This nation cannot claim to be under democracy while law enforcement officers publicly make statements that cast doubt on the potency of the orders of our courts,” Temokun added.
