The Nigeria Police Force, along with the Inspector General of Police and the Lagos State Police Command, has filed a notice of appeal challenging the Federal High Court, Ikoyi’s judgment that awarded N30 million in damages to human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore. The award followed his declaration as “wanted” in October 2025.
Through their legal team, including Shuaib Mustapher (SAN) and Audu Augustine Enenche (SAN), the police are seeking to overturn the February 20, 2026 ruling, arguing that the trial court erred in law and caused a miscarriage of justice.
The appeal raises three main grounds:
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The appellants contend that the police advisory asking Sowore to avoid Lagos during a planned protest did not violate his constitutional right to freedom of movement. They argue that such rights are not absolute and can be lawfully restricted to protect lives, property, and public order.
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They challenged the lower court’s finding that declaring Sowore “wanted” violated his right to dignity. The appellants stated that the declaration was connected to protests held on October 27 and November 3, 2025, which disrupted public order, and that the trial court should have considered the public nature of the events.
3. The police argued that the trial judge did not properly assess key evidence, including an intelligence report on the November 3 protest (Exhibit NP4) and an incident report confirming the protest’s location (Exhibit NP2). They assert that these documents justified their actions in maintaining law and order.
The appellants are urging the appellate court to overturn the lower court’s decision entirely, including the N30 million damages, and to grant any additional relief it considers appropriate.
