LAGOS CP DEFENDS DECLARING SOWORE WANTED, SAYS ACTION WAS WITHIN CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS

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The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has defended his decision to declare activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, wanted, insisting that the move was lawful and aimed at maintaining public order.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, Jimoh said he acted within his constitutional powers to prevent what he described as a planned “violent protest” in Lagos.

“I have the right to declare him wanted. Any person who says I don’t have such a right should go to court,” the commissioner asserted.

Jimoh explained that security operatives acted after monitoring social media posts allegedly made by Sowore, which he claimed indicated plans to mobilise protesters to block the Third Mainland Bridge.

According to him, the police took preventive measures by cordoning off parts of Lagos and arresting 13 suspects linked to the planned protest. A vehicle loaded with loudspeakers and a generator allegedly intended for the demonstration was also impounded.

“I don’t just declare (Sowore) wanted. When he posted on his X handle that he had just taken a bath in Abuja and the next point is Lagos to block the Third Mainland Bridge, we prepared ahead. We cordoned off the entire area and ensured people had alternative routes,” Jimoh said.

The commissioner maintained that his actions were guided by the need to protect lives and property, stressing that prevention was a key part of policing.

“I have the right under the Constitution to prevent crime from occurring, to prevent anybody from causing mayhem across the country,” he said.

Jimoh also clarified that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) did not instruct him to declare Sowore wanted, describing reports suggesting otherwise as “mischievous.”

“The IGP, I say without any doubt, has not given such an order. He has not given it to me or to any other police formation across the country,” he stated.

The controversy began on November 3, when the Lagos Police Command declared Sowore wanted for allegedly engaging in activities capable of disturbing public peace and attempting to obstruct traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Sowore, however, rejected the declaration, calling it unlawful and claiming that no police officer has the power to declare an individual wanted without a court-issued warrant.

In his statement, Sowore alleged that the declaration followed the police’s failure to execute a supposed shoot-at-sight order during the Oworonshoki protest, adding that officers had tried and failed to ambush him earlier that day.

“When this attempt failed, they declared me wanted,” Sowore said.

Jimoh, however, dismissed the allegations, insisting that no such order was ever issued by the IGP or any police authority.

“There is no shoot-at-sight directive against Sowore or anyone else. That report is completely false,” he concluded.