A High Court in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, has temporarily stopped activist Omoyele Sowore and the online news outlet Sahara Reporters from publishing further reports about the country’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The court issued an interim injunction restraining Sowore and the media platform from releasing additional content considered defamatory against Egbetokun, his office, members of his family, and related associates.
The order specifically prohibits the publication of material concerning Victor Egbetokun, including allegations that he received ₦100 million, about $66,667 at an estimated exchange rate of ₦1,500 to $1, from security votes in Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria. It also restrains any degrading or defamatory content about Bukola Kuti, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Nigeria Police Force.
The injunction followed an ex parte motion filed by the claimant’s lawyer, Chid Ayotunde Ogunleye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The application, identified as M/2035/2026, was dated February 10, 2026, and filed the following day, February 11, 2026.
The legal action was brought under Section 6 subsection 6 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, alongside Order 30 Rule 3 of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Civil Procedure Rules 2025. The court exercised its authority to grant interim relief after hearing the applicant’s counsel.
The matter has been adjourned until April 14, 2026, when the court is expected to hear further arguments and decide the next step in the case.
The dispute arose after a series of social media posts allegedly made by Sowore and Sahara Reporters. The applicant described the posts as defamatory, degrading, and derogatory toward the Inspector General of Police, Victor Egbetokun, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Bukola Kuti.
The interim order does not resolve the underlying claims but places temporary limits on further publications until the court determines whether a more permanent injunction should be granted.