Activist Omoyele Sowore on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to cybercrime charges the police instituted against in Abuja for referring to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun as “illegal IGP”.
Mr Sowore pleaded not guilty to all 17 counts read to him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the police earlier filed the indictment on Tuesday.
Following Sowore’s not-guilty plea, trial judge Abdulla Liman adjourned proceedings until 3 p.m. today (Wednesday), when he is set to hear the activist’s bail application.
Earlier in the proceedings, which started at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Mr Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshall from Falana & Falana Chambers, pointed out errors in the indictment filed by the police, including the misspelling of Mr Sowore’s first name as “Omoleye” instead of “Omoyele” in all the 17 counts.
This prompted the police prosecutor to apply for the court’s permission to amend the charges to reflect Mr Sowore’s correct name.
Following the amendment, the charges were read to Mr Sowore, who pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Recall that the trial drew significant attention and prominent figures to the court in solidarity with Mr Sowore on Wednesday.
Among those present were former senator, Shehu Sani, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, the Country Director, Action Aid, Andrew Mamedu, and his predecessor, Ene Obi.
Also, some Nigerian youths and members of the Mr Sowore-led Take It Back Movement (TIB) thronged the court in support of the human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
The Nigerian police charged Mr Sowore on Tuesday with 17 counts of cybercrime offences for referring to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, as “illegal IGP” in a post on his social media platforms.
Mr Egbetokun, who was expected to have exited service having attained the statutory retirement age of 60 years in September 2024, secured an extended stay in office following a controversial alteration to the Nigeria Police Act passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
The alteration allowed Mr Egbetokun to stay in office for up to four years as Nigeria’s police chief.
The police alleged in the indictment filed on Tuesday that Mr Sowore knew that the description of Mr Egbetokun as an “illegal IGP” was false, but knowingly made the claim to cause a “breakdown of law and order”.
They alleged that the act constituted an offence contrary to section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, ETC) Act, 2015 as amended (2024) and punishable under section 24(2)(c) (ii) of the same Act.
Mr Sowore, who was detained after honouring a police invitation on Monday, described the charges as ridiculous.
“These have to be some of the most ridiculous charges ever filed by Nigerian law enforcement agents. Omoyele Sowore to face charges for calling retired and fired IGP Kayode Egbetokun ‘Illegal IGP’,” Mr ,Sowore in a message he circulated via his Whatsapp line on Tuesday.
Mr Sowore also mocked the charges in a Faceboook post, portraying blunders in the filling as justifying his accusation that Mr Egbetokun was incompetent.
“Sowore claimed IG of Nigeria Police Force, KAYODE Egbetokun, was illegal and incompetent, then he quickly moved to court to file charges for cybercrime, with incorrect spellings of Sowore’s 1st name and wrong spelling of ‘incite’.” Mr Sowore wrote on Facebook Tuesday night.
A review of the charges shows that Mr Sowore’s first name was misspelt as “Omoleye” instead of “Omoyele” across the 17 counts. The police also wrote “insight” where they intended to write “incite”.
The activist was invited for questioning by the police over a video clip he uploaded on social media alleging extortion by officers at a checkpoint in Lagos.