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Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticised the Nigerian Constitution and accused the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, of overseeing a tenure marred by abuse of power, unlawful detentions, and a disregard for civil liberties.
In an interview on Breakfast Central on Friday, Sowore did not hide his views on the country’s legal and security institutions. He called the Nigerian Constitution a “military document” that should be scrapped.
“I am not a believer in the Nigerian constitution,” he declared. “Let me make that clear, because it’s a military constitution. And I’ve always said that that document needs to be taken out of existence—it’s part of the problem.”
Sowore went on to criticise the leadership of the Nigerian Police Force, saying that many officers under Egbetokun’s watch had exceeded their mandatory retirement age or years of service but remained in service due to records manipulation. He questioned why Egbetokun was still in office, claiming that the IG’s cohorts had reached retirement as of March 2025.
“We discovered a lot of policemen who were supposed to have retired since 2016, 2017,” he said. “They had gone in and forged and altered their service records. All of them now have been retired—over 500 of them—quietly retired.”
“So what is Egbetokun still doing in the police force?” he asked. “If they are so interested in him as one of their political allies, they can take him to Customs, but even then, I will oppose him.”
Sowore also condemned the extension of tenures in other government agencies, including the Immigration Service, noting that such practices prevent fresh and qualified personnel from advancing.
Responding to criticism that his activism against Egbetokun is personal, Sowore admitted to having a “personal vendetta,” citing incidents from 2024 in which police forces, under Egbetokun’s leadership, allegedly killed peaceful protesters and unlawfully detained minors. He further alleged that there were police shootings carried out on orders from the top, referencing deadly incidents in Kano and Kaduna.
“Let me admit that I have a personal vendetta against him,” Sowore said. “He was the one who in 2024 sent the police to go and kill people, and then arrested and began trying minors for treason.”
He emphasised that the Inspector-General ultimately has responsibility for such actions in the Nigerian Police Force’s structure.
