Sowore Declared Wanted By Lagos Police Command

By Adesina Soyooye

“The CP was ordered by the IGP to shoot me on sight. When his boys failed, he declared me wanted”

For allegedly plotting to instigate public unrest in Lagos, the State Police Command has declared activist Omoyele Sowore wanted.

The Command declared him wanted for planning a protest against the demolition of houses in Oworonshoki, Lagos.

The Command said Sowore planned to

obstruct major roads in the state.

Jimoh Olohundare, the State Commissioner of Police, disclosed this  on Monday while briefing journalists at the Iyana-Oworo section of the Third Mainland Bridge.

Sowore, the leader of  the “Take It Back Movement,” the CP said,  ignored earlier warnings from the Police not to mobilise protests over the recent demolition of houses in the Oworonshoki area.

He said: “We are closing in on Sowore and others involved in coordinating activities intended to disrupt public peace.

“Sowore should surrender at the nearest police station or face arrest wherever he is found.

He warned that anyone who tries  to cause disturbances or block public roads would “face the full weight of the law.”

The Commissioner, said intelligence reports showed  that Sowore and his associates planned to  simultaneously demonstrate at strategic locations such as the Third Mainland Bridge, Lekki Tollgate, and Freedom Park.

He described the alleged plan as “criminal,” and cautioned that it could cause severe traffic disruptions as well as endanger lives.

“It is only someone who needs examination that would attempt to block such a vital route used by thousands daily.”

According to the CP, 13 suspects connected to the planned protest were already under custody while Sowore allegedly fled.

Investigations, he said, are ongoing to uncover the sponsors and collaborators behind the plan.

Jimoh revealed that Police Officers have been deployed along major highways and bridges, where temporary roadblocks and diversions have been mounted.

“The Third Mainland Bridge was not designed to hold stationary weight. Any gathering on it could pose structural risks,” he emphasised.

On the demolished buildings in Lagos, and especially,  Oworonshoki, the CP said that all those affected have been compensated.

“The Government compensated those affected, and the media witnessed it. There is no justification to provoke a crisis under the guise of protest,” he said.

Assuring Lagosians of adequate protection, he said:

“We are not sleeping. We will apprehend, investigate, and prosecute anyone attempting to undermine public safety in Lagos,” Jimoh declared.

But in a swift reaction, Sowore said the CP declared him wanted when his boys failed to shoot him (Sowore),allegedly,on sight on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun. He, however said he plans to see the CP soon.

He said: “The Lagos Police Commissioner, Moshood Jimoh, has reportedly declared me ‘wanted’ for ‘disturbance of public peace’, allegedly as a result of his officers’ inability to execute a shoot-on-sight  order given by his illegal IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, in Oworonshoki today.

“Despite my repeated attempts to contact Nigeria Police Force Commissioner Jimoh, he has not taken my calls. Nevertheless, I plan to meet with him soon to address his declaration. #RevolutionNow.”