Africa
The Law Must Take Its Course On Sowore’s Excesses -By Kelvin Adegbenga
The proceedings are a constitutional process aimed at addressing specific criminal infractions. If found guilty, Sowore must face the consequences of his actions, as the law prescribes.
Where was the public when Omoyele Sowore was relentlessly tarnishing the image of the Nigeria Police Force? Where were the so-called activists and sympathizers now drumming up support for him, when he was churning out malicious social media publications, even going as far as forging police signals, classified documents, to advance his selfish agenda?
Today, this same man is inviting the public to Court 8 of the Federal High Court in Abuja to witness his trial on criminal charges, but let us be clear: this trial is not a charade, neither is it persecution.
The law is very clear on forgery, criminal defamation, and the unlawful publication of confidential government documents.
The same public that was silent while Sowore dragged the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force in the mud must now rise to the responsibility of allowing the law to take its natural course.
For too long, individuals like Sowore have hidden under the guise of “activism” to spread disinformation, blackmail, and character assassination. This is not activism; it is criminality, and no society that values justice and order can allow it to stand.
Contrary to the cheap narratives being pushed around, there was never a time the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, initiated private meetings with Sowore.
For what value could such a meeting possibly bring to the work of the police? The IGP is focused on strengthening institutional capacity and safeguarding Nigerians, not entertaining opportunists whose stock-in-trade is propaganda.
Any insinuation to the contrary is an outright lie, crafted only to deceive the gullible.
Worse still, publications by Sowore insinuating that someone is a mistress to the IGP represent the height of defamation, malicious, reckless, and shameful.
This is not free speech; it is character assassination with intent to injure the reputation of an individual and the office he occupies. Such brazen falsehood cannot go unpunished in any decent society.
The court is not a theatre for propaganda, neither is it an avenue for Sowore to stage another round of his attention-seeking drama.
The proceedings are a constitutional process aimed at addressing specific criminal infractions. If found guilty, Sowore must face the consequences of his actions, as the law prescribes.
The time has come for Nigerians to separate activism from criminality, free speech from defamation, and patriotism from reckless propaganda.
Sowore’s excesses must not be glorified. The law is clear, and it must take its course—firmly, fairly, and without fear or favor.
Kelvin Adegbenga is the National Coordinator of Integrity Youth Alliance and writes from Ikeja, Lagos. email: kelvinadegbenga@yahoo.com
