Monday, July 20, 2026

Sowore honours police invitation over allegations of forgery, inciting disturbance

Mr Sowore was initially scheduled to appear before the IGP Monitoring Unit in Abuja on Monday, August 4.

• August 6, 2025
Omoyele Sowore
Omoyele Sowore (Credit: Omoyele Sowore)

Mr Sowore arrived at the Force Headquarters at about noon on Wednesday, alongside several young activists who staged a protest his possible detention by the police.

The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday, August 5, re-invited Mr Sowore for questioning over allegations of forgery and inciting disturbance. But Mr Sowore gave conditions to honour the invitation.

Mr Sowore was initially scheduled to appear before the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit in Abuja on Monday, August 4, following an invitation regarding a case they said was reported on July 31.

However, the meeting was postponed due to the unavailability of the head of the unit, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorede, according to a subsequent notice sent to Mr Sowore.

According to Mr Sowore’s post on Facebook, the postponement was communicated by the investigating officer, Hafiz Garba, who cited Mr Fakorede’s engagement in an “urgent national assignment” in the North-East.

“Please be informed that your meeting with DCP Akin Fakorede… slated for Monday, 4th August 2025, has been postponed,” Mr Garba wrote. “This is due to the unavailability of the head on that date… A new date will be fixed, and you will be notified accordingly.”

Before the postponement, Mr Sowore had publicly declared his readiness to honour the invitation and called on supporters to accompany him to the police headquarters.

On Tuesday, Mr Sowore posted on his Facebook page that the police had reached out again, confirming Mr Fakorede’s return and requesting him to appear on Tuesday (later today) at 3:00 p.m.

But Mr Sowore stated that he would not comply without a legally valid invitation and a copy of the petition against him, describing the police’s earlier invitation as “invalid” and riddled with “legal fabrications.”

He pointed out that the original letter cited a non-existent offence — “Inciting disturbance” — and referenced Section 53(2) of the “ACJA 2025,” a law he says does not exist under Nigeria’s legal framework.

“Your initial invitation was invalidated by an alarming number of unknowns and legal fabrications,” he wrote.

“To begin with, the letter claimed I was being invited over an unknown offence… a term that exists nowhere in Nigerian criminal law.”

“Even more troubling, you cited Section 53(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2025. A version of the ACJA that does not exist.”

He insisted that before considering any further invitation, the police must provide a properly dated and signed official letter; and an advance copy of the petition or complaint that necessitated his appearance.

The police have not publicly responded to his statement or clarified the status of the invitation.

Recall that the invitation came less than two weeks after Mr Sowore’s active roles in the protest by retired police officers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on 21 July.

The protest called for the removal of retirees from the Contributory Pension Scheme and demanded improved welfare benefits.

During the protest, Mr Sowore alleged that a civilian staff at the Nigerian Police Media department stole his Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses — a claim he repeated in multiple posts between 23 and 26 July.

He later identified the suspect as Aku Chiemere, said to be a police cameraman attached to the office of the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

He submitted a formal complaint at the Asokoro Police Division, after a prior petition by his lawyer to the Force Criminal Investigation Department was redirected.

The police have not responded publicly to the theft allegation.

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