Sowore Alleges Collusion Between Police and Judge to Withhold His Passport

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has accused the Nigeria Police Force under IGP Kayode Egbetokun and presiding judge Musa Suleiman Liman of working together to indefinitely withhold his international passport. He claims this action is part of a wider effort to silence him and his news outlet.

Sowore argues that the passport seizure goes beyond normal court procedures. He says the police and the judge have continuously delayed rulings, refused to hear motions, and imposed unreasonable hurdles, effectively preventing him from traveling and limiting his ability to organize activism abroad.

He highlighted repeated delays and judicial absences in 2025, including instances when the court postponed his application for temporary passport release due to the judge attending seminars or being on vacation. Sowore says this pattern undermines fairness and raises serious concerns about impartiality in his case.

His legal team added that repeated postponements and threats from court officials could compromise the integrity of the legal process. They emphasized that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done, warning that current practices violate this fundamental principle.

Sowore framed the passport issue as part of a broader pattern of state pressure and judicial complicity aimed at critics of the government and security institutions. He described the saga as a symbol of a judiciary yielding to pressure from other state bodies, posing a threat to the rights of all Nigerians who speak out.