The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has justified his decision to declare activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, wanted, stressing that his action was within the powers granted to him by the Constitution to uphold law and order in the state.
During an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, November 5, Jimoh explained that the move was lawful and aimed at preventing what he termed a planned “violent protest” in Lagos.
He noted that security agencies had been keeping tabs on Sowore’s online activities and found posts suggesting preparations to mobilise demonstrators to obstruct the Third Mainland Bridge. “When he posted something on his X handle, and it’s there for people to verify, that he had just taken a bath in Abuja, and the next point is Lagos, to block the Third Mainland Bridge… we were well prepared,” the police chief said.
Jimoh disclosed that officers had been deployed to secure major parts of the city and that 13 individuals connected to the planned protest were apprehended. He added that the police also confiscated a vehicle equipped with loudspeakers and a generator, allegedly intended for use during the protest.
“I have the right under the Constitution to prevent crime from occurring, to prevent anybody that wants to take us into the house, to cause mayhem across the country,” Jimoh stated, underscoring that his actions were motivated by the duty to safeguard lives, property, and public peace.
He further clarified that the decision to declare Sowore wanted was solely his and not a directive from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). Dismissing contrary claims, he described such reports as “mischievous.” “The IGP, I say without any doubt, has not given such an order. And he has not given it not only to me, but to virtually all the police institutions across the country,” he added.
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