A court in Abuja has issued an interim order stopping activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore and his media platform, Sahara Reporters, from publishing statements considered defamatory against Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The order, granted on Wednesday, also protects members of the police chief’s family and a serving police officer, pending the hearing of a substantive suit scheduled for April 14.
Court filings show the police chief’s son and another officer separately sought legal protection, asking the court to halt the publication of any material they claim could damage their reputations.
The legal action marks the latest development in a long-running dispute between Sowore and the Nigeria Police Force over the legitimacy of the Inspector General’s continued stay in office.
Sowore had repeatedly described Egbetokun’s tenure as unlawful after he reached the official retirement age. However, the tenure was extended following amendments to the Police Act approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu, allowing the police chief to remain in office for a fixed term.
Police authorities had earlier filed cybercrime charges against Sowore, accusing him of making statements capable of undermining public confidence in the office of the Inspector General.
Sowore has denied the allegations, and the matter remains before the court.
