Activist Farotimi Supports Sowore, Calls IGP Egbetokun’s Stay in Office ‘Illegal’
Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has joined the growing chorus of voices questioning the legitimacy of Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, arguing that his continued tenure in office is illegal and that he should have retired by now.
In an interview on News Central TV on Saturday, Farotimi lent his support to former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore, who has been vocal about the questionable legality of Egbetokun’s appointment. Sowore, the leader of the #RevolutionNow Movement, was recently arrested by the police after accusing Egbetokun of holding an “illegal” position.
Sowore had posted on social media, calling Egbetokun the “illegal IG of the Nigeria Police Force” and sharing a photo of him with a critical caption: “Mediocrity, incompetence, corruption, a country run by characterless people cannot make progress.” Following this, Sowore was detained on charges under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024. Despite being granted bail on the condition of providing a civil servant surety, Sowore rejected the terms and chose to remain in police custody. The authorities subsequently pressed a 16-count charge against him.
During a court hearing on Thursday, Justice Musa Liman granted Sowore bail, setting the amount at N10 million with a surety, and also ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.
Farotimi, reacting to the situation, criticized the federal government for ignoring the law. He argued that Egbetokun’s continued stay in office was a direct violation of legal norms.
“Nigeria is a country of contradictions where laws don’t matter,” Farotimi said. “If laws truly mattered, Yele (Sowore) is absolutely right. The IGP is illegal. He has overstayed his term, yet the Presidency is signaling that the law simply doesn’t apply.”
He further accused President Bola Tinubu of undermining the Constitution by allowing Egbetokun to remain in his position.
“The President has ‘decreed’ this into reality,” Farotimi stated. “If the law was being followed, Kayode Egbetokun would have retired by now, as the law demands. But what we are seeing is a complete disregard for the Constitution, as if the law no longer matters.”
When asked about the lack of a formal decree from the presidency, Farotimi maintained that the president’s actions and statements carry the same weight as a decree, as they effectively override legal provisions.
“It’s the effect of the President’s pronouncements that matter,” he said. “If the President’s words hold more power than the law, that is in itself a decree. And the reality is that the Police Service Commission (PSC) has not disputed the fact that Egbetokun should have retired.”
Farotimi’s remarks add to the ongoing controversy surrounding Egbetokun’s tenure and the broader concerns about legal accountability in Nigeria’s government.
