Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore took part in the ‘Egbetokun Must Go’ protest at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, standing firm against oppression and government intimidation.
His participation in the protest follows the court’s decision to grant him bail set at ₦10 million, with one surety of the same amount, and a condition requiring him to surrender his passport.
Addressing the crowd, Sowore reaffirmed his resilience, declaring that no amount of intimidation could silence him.
“They can’t shut me up, and they cannot make me disappear,” he stated. “As Nigerians, we will continue to stand against our oppressors, and these people will be defeated.”
Sowore also expressed solidarity with discontented police officers, emphasizing the need to improve their working conditions.
“If it takes organizing a nationwide protest for their rights, we are ready. This is not about patronizing the police but fighting for their welfare. As employees of the Federal Government, they deserve decent housing, quality education for their children, and fair salaries. A banker they protect earns more than them, yet without the police, banks wouldn’t even open,” he said.
The Chronicles Reporters publisher rejected any suggestion of fleeing Nigeria, stating that he had multiple opportunities to do so but chose to remain.
“Twenty-four years ago, I could have taken U.S. citizenship, but out of love for my country, I chose to stay Nigerian,” he explained.
“If I had a U.S. passport today, they couldn’t seize it. I could simply fly out tomorrow. But I am a Nigerian, come rain or shine—we are not going anywhere.”
Sowore also highlighted the struggles faced by police officers due to poor funding and a broken pension system.
“A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) commanding 500 officers is allocated just ₦30,000 per quarter to run a police station. To buy fuel, they have to extort; to buy office supplies, they must extort. Sometimes, elites order them to shoot someone, and it’s the victim’s family who ends up buying medicine for the officer who fired the shot,” he said.
According to him, police pensions are designed to keep officers in a cycle of financial insecurity, forcing them into corrupt practices just to survive.
“We want to free rank-and-file officers from this exploitative pension system. That’s why some officers rush to collect their pensions before retirement. I’ve spoken with Deji, and if we must stage a nationwide protest for this cause, we are ready. We are not doing this to appease the police. If they act unlawfully, we will still hold them accountable. But as federal employees, they deserve better wages and benefits,” Sowore stated.
In a direct message to the Inspector General of Police, he warned that Egbetokun would ultimately lose.
“The illegal IGP, Egbetokun, will never win this case. He will lose like those before him. What he is doing now is no different from a Chief of Air Staff ordering a pilot to bomb someone’s house just because they criticized him,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chronicles Reporters earlier reported that Justice Musa Suleiman Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Sowore bail in the sum of ₦10 million, requiring one surety of the same amount.
The court further ruled that the surety must own verifiable landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while Sowore was required to submit his passport and provide an affidavit of means.
Though initially given a deadline to meet the bail conditions, the court later extended the timeframe by 24 hours to allow compliance.
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