Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, of declaring him wanted after the police failed to execute what he described as an “illegal shoot-on-sight order” allegedly issued by Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Sowore made this revelation on his verified social media handles while reacting to reports that he had been declared wanted for “disturbing public peace” during a protest against the demolition of houses in Oworonshoki, Lagos.
In his words: “The Lagos Police Commissioner, Moshood Jimoh, has reportedly declared me ‘wanted’ for ‘disturbance of public peace’, allegedly as a result of his officers’ inability to execute a ‘shoot on sight’ order given by his illegal IGP, Kayode Egbetokun in Oworonsoki today. Despite my repeated attempts to contact Nigeria Police Force Commissioner Jimoh, he has not taken my calls; nevertheless, I plan to meet with him soon to address his declaration.”
Sowore earlier reported in his social media platform, that Commissioner Jimoh declared him wanted over what he called public disturbance, following protests led by displaced residents whose homes were demolished by the Lagos State Government.
Witnesses told newsmen that the protesters including mothers, children, and aged residents, were chanting solidarity songs and demanding that the government stop the demolitions and provide alternative shelter.
Videos that surfaced online showed bulldozers leveling buildings while armed policemen supervised the operation, occasionally firing teargas canisters to disperse protesters and journalists.
Sowore, who had vowed to attend the demonstration, arrived in Oworonshoki to a heavy police clampdown. As soon as he made his way toward the rally ground, officers reportedly launched teargas grenades into the crowd, forcing several protesters to flee.
According to reports, the Lagos CP had earlier threatened Sowore not to come to Lagos for the protest. However, the fiery activist defied the warning, declaring, “I will be in Oworonshoki, come rain or bullets.”
Sources confirmed that Commissioner Jimoh was seen directing policemen to “stop Sowore at all costs.” The activist later left the scene, saying he suspected that some officers had been instructed to kill him on sight.
“This is why Nigeria remains in this mess,” Sowore said during a Facebook Live broadcast. “When citizens stand against oppression, they are targeted with bullets. And yet, the same police expect respect from the people they brutalize.”
He further linked his persecution to a broader campaign by the Nigerian government to silence dissent, referencing his recent arrest and detention in Abuja after the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest that shut down parts of the capital on October 20.
The Monday protest in Lagos was organized by the Take It Back (TIB) Movement, a civic group that Sowore leads, which accused the state government of unleashing “a war of demolition” on the poor and vulnerable.
As the situation escalates, activists across the country have condemned the police action, calling it a “desperate abuse of power” and warning that the Egbetokun-led police is turning Nigeria into “a killing field for dissenters.”
