Omoyele Sowore, ex-presidential candidate and activist, who has been detained in the police custody since Monday, has arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja for arraignment.
His comments on social media, referring to the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun as an “illegal IG” might be one of the charges to be slammed against him.
Sowore is reportedly facing a three-count charge related to cybercrime, under the amended Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act of 2015.
According to the charges, filed in a suit marked FCH/ABJ/23/25, Egbetokun accused Sowore of intentionally and knowingly sending messages through his verified Twitter account, where he referred to the IG as “illegal IGP Kayode Egbetokun.”
According to the police, Sowore’s publications were allegedly false, intended to incite lawlessness, and aimed at undermining police authority and causing public unrest.
Sowore’s legal team, led by Mr. Marshall Abubakar, had confirmed that the charges against him would indeed proceed to trial in court.
A report by Persecondnews had said that Sowore had arrived at the Police headquarters in Abuja on Monday, January 27, at 10 a.m., amid tight security.
His summons for questioning stemmed from a viral video he posted, which alleged extortion by police officers at a checkpoint in Lagos.
According to the invitation letter dated January 23 from the FCID, Sowore is under investigation for multiple offences, including resisting and obstructing public officers, disobedience to lawful orders, and cyberstalking.
The letter, signed by a senior police officer, requested Sowore to report for an interview with the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID).
Following the meeting, Sowore declined to accept the bail conditions imposed by the police, resulting in his detention and subsequent arraignment in court on Wednesday.
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