The Nigeria Police Force engaged in a desperate attempt to confuse the two judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja by filing processes before both Justice S.M. Liman and Justice Emeka Nwite, leading to overlapping hearings on different matters against Sowore.
The Federal High Court in Abuja was thrown into confusion on Monday after two vacation judges simultaneously entertained separate motions involving human rights activist and SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore.
The Nigeria Police Force engaged in a desperate attempt to confuse the two judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja by filing processes before both Justice S.M. Liman and Justice Emeka Nwite, leading to overlapping hearings on different matters against Sowore.
The two vacation judges of the Federal High Court heard separate motions against Sowore simultaneously.
Sowore appeared before Justice Liman in Court 3 in connection with his application seeking the release of his passport. However, police lawyers were absent during the proceedings.
Justice Liman, while refusing to hear the application, described it as insufficiently weighty to warrant determination during the vacation period.
The judge further expressed displeasure over media reports suggesting he had previously avoided hearing Sowore’s application, citing engagements in Lagos and Bauchi. In an unusual move, Justice Liman also barred Sowore from entering the dock, insisting the matter was ex parte and did not require the applicant’s physical presence.
He subsequently adjourned the case until September 4, directing Sowore’s lawyers to file a fresh motion.
“Justice Liman in his usual manner refused to hear Sowore’s application, claiming it was not heavy enough to warrant a vacation hearing, he went on a rant veilingly referring to media reports that he had dodged from hearing the application on two separate occasions while giving excuses of a conference to Lagos and another one that he returned to Bauchi to hear,” a source said.
“Unlike the practice. The judge also did not allow Sowore to enter the dock, stating that it was an ex parte motion; therefore, there was no need for the accused person to enter the dock.
“He then ended his rant by stating that, like everything, the matter has a beginning and will someday end somehow before asking the lawyers to file a fresh motion and then adjourn the case.”
In a separate courtroom, Justice Nwite granted an ex parte application by the police seeking substituted service of a criminal summons against SaharaReporters.
The judge clarified that he only approved service of the summons through newspaper publication, not the substantive trial itself.
The simultaneous proceedings—one seeking Sowore’s passport release and the other involving substituted service of summons against his media platform—have fuelled concerns among observers about the police’s handling of the cases and the unusual pressure placed on two vacation judges of the Federal High Court.
Cybercrime and Passport Saga
In the courtroom of Justice Liman, Sowore, a former presidential candidate, is facing cybercrime charges brought by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The charges stem from Sowore’s public reference to the police chief as an “Illegal IGP,” a comment that led to his detention at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja.
Sowore was granted bail to the tune of ₦10 million, with strict conditions including the surrender of his passport. But when he later requested temporary release of the passport to travel abroad for medical reasons and to visit his family, Justice Liman denied the application.
Justice Nwite’s Court
In August 2025, the Force filed fresh charges against Sowore, this time centering on alleged defamation and incitement of police mutiny.
It stems from how he and SaharaReporters exposed the police promotion scandal, which followed a protest organised alongside retired police officers to demand reforms to the pension system and the removal of the police from the Contributory Pension Scheme.
