Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate, has announced that his international passport has been released following what he called months of “extended and unjustified seizure” connected to a contentious police-initiated cybercrime prosecution.
According to Naija News, Sowore revealed this on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, while narrating a sequence of dramatic court hearings surrounding the case, which was first brought under the direction of former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
Sowore claims that the most recent event came after Justice Musa Liman dismissed the cybercrime accusations against him.
Sowore remarked, “Today was a revealing and deeply troubling day.”
He clarified that he went back to court after the charges were dropped, pointing out that the case was essentially over.
However, the activist said that Egbetokun tried to revive the case through internal police channels instead of accepting the court’s ruling.
“Egbetokun, through loyalists, orchestrated a new legal maneuver instead of accepting that ruling,” he claimed.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Bukola Kuti and Assistant Inspector-General of Police Emmanuel Ade Aina, according to Sowore, were involved in the filing of what he called a “bizarre” ex parte application to relist the case despite its prior dismissal.
He continued, “It is astounding that Egbetokun seems to continue exerting influence within the police hierarchy even after his removal from office.”
Barrister Marshal D. F. Abubakar and Barrister Rosemary Hamza of Adeyanju Deji’s chambers led Sowore’s legal team, which quickly requested a Certified True Copy of the decision and the final court order.
He said, however, that the procedure was postponed by court officials.
“Citing a public holiday, court officials stalled the process,” he claimed.
The activist also revealed that his attorneys had given top priority to recovering his surety’s land documents and passport, which had been confiscated as part of the January 2025 bail requirements.
He said, “The judge refused to release it despite my repeated requests, at one point even suggesting that my wife and family must swear affidavits before it could be returned.”
He also connected the judge’s formal commitments, such as conferences, to the case’s frequent postponements.
According to Sowore, AIG Aina filed an ex parte application last week in an attempt to relist the case that had already been thrown out.
He also stated that when he arrived in court on Tuesday, the registrar told his legal team that Justice Liman would not sign the decision and order until the police made a formal appearance to withdraw their application in front of the court.
He claimed that when the police filed a second ex parte move to withdraw their initial application, the matter got more difficult.
We were abruptly told that the matter was not scheduled for hearing as we were waiting for the proceedings to start, Sowore clarified.
Sowore claimed he spoke to reporters about national concerns on the court grounds during the waiting period.
However, he said that Musbau, SAN, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, interrupted the conversation.
“A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Musbau, SAN, abruptly interrupted and attempted to bully both myself and members of the press to leave the courtroom area during that interaction,” he stated.
“He obviously did not foresee what came next.”
Later, according to Sowore, he departed for a planned meeting in the Federal Capital Territory with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He claims that his attorneys then told him that the court had relisted the case, permitted the police to relocate their application, and then ended the case after approving the withdrawal request.
“After that, my international passport was released to my attorney and given back to me, ending yet another protracted and unwarranted seizure,” Sowore stated.
Although Sowore’s accusations have sparked new worries about the legal system’s procedural behavior, the development essentially puts an end to the legal battle over the seized passport.
