Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist, has brought the Nigeria Police Force, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, demanding ₦1.2 billion in damages for what he claims were his unlawful arrest, detention, and arraignment by Abuja police officers.
A group of twenty human rights attorneys led by Tope Temokun filed the lawsuit, which asks for multiple statements that his detention and arraignment on October 23 and 24, 2025, were “illegal, oppressive, and unlawful.”
Sowore claimed that the police actions constituted a “blatant violation” of his constitutional rights to liberty, dignity, and movement in the lawsuit filed in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 37, 41, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 2, 5, 6, and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“The arrest of the applicant by the agents of the respondents on October 23, 2025, is illegal, oppressive, unlawful, and constitutes a blatant violation of the applicant’s fundamental right to personal liberty as enshrined in Section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution,” the activist said, quoting directly from the motion.
Sowore further claimed that Section 41(1) of the Constitution, which protects freedom of movement, was violated by his imprisonment, harassment, and restraint.
According to the petition, “the applicant’s fundamental right to freedom of movement is blatantly violated by the harassment, restraint, arrest, and detention of the applicant by the agents of the respondents.”
The activist described in his supporting affidavit how he was detained while attending a court case on the grounds of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sowore stated, “I was arrested on October 23, 2025, in the vicinity of this honorable court due to allegations that I participated in a nonviolent protest that the complainants claimed violated a prior order made by this honorable court.”
He further stated that he was never served with such an order and accused the police of utilizing “self-help rather than due process.”
In addition to ₦1 billion in punitive and exemplary damages for the alleged “illegal violation of his fundamental human rights,” Sowore’s legal team is requesting that the court order the defendants to jointly pay ₦200 million in general damages for the unlawful arrest and detention.
Additionally, the lawsuit requests an injunction for the Nigeria Police Force, the IGP, and the FCT Commissioner of Police to publicly apologize for breaching Sowore’s rights in at least three national newspapers.
The activist is also requesting that the court order the Attorney General of the Federation to take disciplinary action against the FCT Police Commissioner and the IGP in accordance with the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Anti-Torture Act of 2017.
The lawsuit states, “The applicant is entitled to an order compelling the respondents to pay ₦1.2 billion as damages and to tender public apologies for the blatant violation of his fundamental rights without following due process of law.”
The original motion claimed that the police’s actions violated several clauses of the African Charter, the Nigerian Constitution, and other international human rights treaties that Nigeria is bound by.
According to Sowore’s attorneys, “the respondents’ actions constitute a gross violation of Sections 34(1), 35, 37, and 41 of the Constitution and Articles 2, 5, 6, and 12 of the African Charter.”
Twenty human rights attorneys, including Marshal Abubakar, Pelumi Olajengbesi, Inibehe Effiong, Deji Adeyanju, Ahmed Tijjani Yusuf, Rahila Dauda, Festus Ogun, and Michael Owolabi, signed the lawsuit, which was filed under the legal partnership Steel Attorneys.
The Federal High Court Cashier’s Office in Abuja officially filed and acknowledged the lawsuit on November 12, 2025, according to court papers that SaharaReporters was able to obtain.
