Court Returns Sowore’s Passport After Months Of Seizure As Police Quietly Withdraw Cybercrime Case

Abuja, Nigeria- Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has confirmed that his international passport has finally been returned to him after months of seizure by the court as part of bail conditions in a controversial cybercrime case filed by the Nigeria Police.

Sowore disclosed this on Tuesday in a detailed account of what he described as a “revealing and deeply troubling day” at the Federal High Court, where a series of unusual legal maneuvers unfolded following the earlier dismissal of the case against him.

According to Sowore, he returned to court after Justice Musa Liman had earlier struck out the cybercrime charges filed against him by the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, whom he described as “illegally appointed and now removed.”

Sowore said that instead of accepting the ruling striking out the case, the former police chief allegedly worked through loyalists within the force to revive the matter through what he called a fresh legal maneuver.

“Today was a revealing and deeply troubling day,” Sowore said.

“I returned to court following Justice Musa Liman’s decision, which had earlier struck out the cybercrime case brought against me by the illegally appointed and now removed former IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.”

“Rather than accept that ruling, Egbetokun, working through loyalists, orchestrated a fresh legal maneuver. Alongside ACP Bukola Kuti and the AIG Emmanuel Ade Aina, Director of Legal Services, Nigeria Police Force in charge of the Police Legal Directorate, a bizarre ex parte motion was filed to relist the same case for a fresh trial,” he added.

The activist said it was “astonishing” that Egbetokun continued to exert influence within the police hierarchy even after leaving office.

“It is astonishing that even after his removal from office, Egbetokun appears to continue exerting influence within the police hierarchy,” Sowore said.

Sowore explained that his legal team, led by Barrister Marshal D. F. Abubakar and Barrister Rosemary Hamza of the chambers of Deji Adeyanju, immediately applied for the certified ruling and the final court order confirming that the case had been struck out.

However, he alleged that court officials stalled the process.

“My legal team, led by Barrister Marshal D F Abubakar and Barrister Rosemary Hamza of Adeyanju Deji’s chambers, immediately applied for the certified ruling and final order striking out the case. However, court officials stalled the process, citing public holiday,” Sowore said.

According to him, the primary objective of his lawyers was to retrieve his international passport and land documentation belonging to his surety, which Justice Liman had seized as part of bail conditions since January 2025.

“Our focus was to retrieve my international passport and land documentation for my surety, which Justice Liman had seized as part of bail conditions since January 2025. Despite repeated applications, the judge refused to release it, at one point even suggesting that my wife and family must swear affidavits before it could be returned,” he stated.

Sowore further alleged that the case experienced repeated delays during the trial.

“The case itself suffered repeated deliberate adjournments, often justified by Justice Liman’s reasons such as conferences and other engagements,” he said.

He noted that recent developments surrounding the case had now cast those delays in a different light.

Sowore disclosed that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Legal Services, Emmanuel Ade Aina, had filed what he described as an unusual ex parte motion seeking to relist the already struck-out case.

“Last week, the AIG in charge of Legal, Mr. Aina, filed an unusual ex parte motion to relist the struck-out case. Today, the court registrar informed us that Justice Liman would not sign the ruling and order formally striking out the case until the police appeared to move their motion to relist the case as well withdraw in open court,” he said.

He added that the police subsequently filed another application seeking to withdraw the earlier motion they had filed to relist the case.

“Even more strangely, the police filed yet another ex parte application to withdraw their earlier motion to relist the case,” Sowore explained.

According to him, while he and his legal team waited for proceedings to begin, they were suddenly informed that the case was not listed for hearing that day.

“While we waited for proceedings to begin, we were suddenly informed that the case was not listed for hearing; even then we insisted that the request to relist should never have any impact on our request to get the ruling and order,” he said.

During the waiting period, Sowore said he addressed journalists within the court premises, speaking on several national issues.

He, however, alleged that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Musbau SAN, interrupted the interaction and attempted to force journalists and him out of the courtroom area.

“During this period, I addressed journalists at the court premises on a range of national issues. In the course of that interaction, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Musbau, SAN, abruptly interrupted and attempted to bully both myself and members of the press to vacate the courtroom area. He clearly did not anticipate what followed,” Sowore said.

Following the incident, Sowore said he left the court premises for another engagement with the Independent National Electoral Commission in the Federal Capital Territory.

“We left the courtroom and proceeded to another engagement with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC Nigeria) in the FCT,” he said.

According to him, after concluding the meeting, his lawyers informed him that the judge had relisted the case, allowed a police lawyer to move their application, and eventually brought the matter to an end by granting an ex parte order permitting the police to withdraw the charges.

“Upon concluding that meeting, my attorneys informed me that Justice Liman had relisted the matter, allowed a police lawyer to move their application, and, ironically, brought the entire case to an end through an ex parte order permitting the police to withdraw it,” Sowore explained.

He confirmed that the development led to the return of his travel document.

“My international passport was subsequently released to my lawyer and returned to me, bringing to a close yet another prolonged and unjustified seizure,” Sowore said.

The activist has repeatedly accused the Nigeria Police of using the cybercrime charges as a tool to harass and restrict his movements, a claim the police authorities have previously denied.