Abuja High Court Orders Six Banks To Provide Police IG Egbetokun With Account Details Linked To Sowore

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered six banks to provide the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun with comprehensive account documents and transaction records linked to human rights activist Omoyele Sowore from January 2024 to the present.

The transaction is to cover inflows and outflows, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the directive following an ex-parte motion filed by the IGP’s lawyer, Wisdom Madaki.

In the motion, the IGP stated that Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, is under investigation for alleged terrorism financing, money laundering, and other fraudulent activities.

Justice Nwite ruled that the application was meritorious, granting the police access to the requested financial information.

“I have listened to the submission of the counsel to the applicant, and I have also gone through the affidavit evidence,” the judge said.

“I’m of the view and so hold that the application is meritorious. The prayer is hereby granted as prayed.”

NAN reports that in the ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1757/2025, the IGP named Sowore and Sahara Reporters Media Foundation as the first and second defendants, respectively.

The motion also included United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Opay Digital Services Ltd, Moniepoint, and Kuda Microfinance Bank Ltd as the third to eighth defendants.

Egbetokun sought “an order directing the following banks; UBA Plc, GTB plc, ZENITH Bank Plc, Opay Digital Services Limited, Moniepoint and Kuda Microfinance Bank Limited to furnished the applicant through the office of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit account opening package/mandate card, certified true copy of the statement of account reflecting transfers with account numbers of both inflows and outflows from January, 2024 till date.”

The IGP, citing five grounds in his motion, stated that Sowore is under investigation for “terrorism financing, money laundering, and other fraudulent activities.”

He added that the complainant had already commenced inquiries into the activities of the first respondent.

“That the accounts seeking to obtain the statement of accounts are the accounts which the 1st respondent is using for terrorism financing and money laundering,” the IGP said. 

The applicant argued that the court should grant the relief sought to facilitate the ongoing investigation, warning that failure to do so could compromise police efforts.

In an affidavit attached to the motion, Bassey Ibrahim, a police officer in the Legal Section of the Force CID, claimed that his office received intelligence indicating that Sowore “is using the accounts for terrorism financing, money laundering, and receives financial support from foreign partners for terrorism.”

Ibrahim stated that the police needed the court’s order to access the account statements, which would enable the office to conduct a thorough investigation into the suspects’ alleged fraudulent activities.

The IGP affirmed that the respondents will not suffer “any prejudice” or be entitled to indemnity as a result of this application. 

He deposed that the affidavit is in “good faith, believing the content to be true and correct in accordance with the provision of the Oath Act, 2024.”

NAN reports that at least 26 bank accounts linked to Sowore—including those of Sahara Reporters Media Foundation and the African Action Congress (AAC)—are currently under investigation.

How Egbetokun Asked NFIU To Track SR, Sowore’s Accounts

On Sunday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that the IGP had written to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), requesting it to track all financial transactions linked to SaharaReporters, its publisher, Sowore.

“The IGP, Egbetokun, is very frustrated about SR’s reporting, especially over the promotion scandal. He has written to the NFIU to help track all payments made by SaharaReporters, Sowore or any bank accounts or transactions,” an inside source said.

The move is believed to be part of efforts to monitor and block payments and financial inflows connected to the platform, which has consistently exposed corruption, impunity, and human rights abuses by the Nigeria Police Force.

In addition, SaharaReporters learnt that Egbetokun and some senior police officials were also angered by Sowore’s refusal to attend two separate meetings proposed by the IGP.

The activist and publisher not only declined the invitations but also disclosed the attempts publicly, and this infuriated the police leadership.

“They were also very livid that Sowore refused to hold a meeting with the IGP twice that they proposed it and that he disclosed it publicly,” a source said.

For instance, on Wednesday, Sowore raised fresh alarm over what he described as sustained harassment by the Force under Egbetokun.

Sowore, in a statement on his X handle, narrated how he was again summoned for questioning by the police at their headquarters in Abuja.

“Today again, I was summoned by the Nigeria Police Force under the leadership of the illegal Inspector General of Nigeria Police Force, Kayode Egbetokun,” he wrote.

According to him, the interrogation was handled by the IGP Monitoring Unit led by former SARS commander Akin Fakorede. However, Fakorede did not personally attend, claiming to be “held up in a meeting.”

“Upon arrival at the Police Headquarters, after being subjected to needless delays, it quickly became clear that what they had set up was nothing more than a soap opera,” Sowore stated.

Sowore narrated that the police were attempting to use corporate records of SaharaReporters entities obtained from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as a basis for a sham trial.

He said he refused a request to put his explanations in writing, stressing that the case was politically motivated.

Rejection Of ‘Peace Deal’

Sowore disclosed that police operatives attempted to broker a deal to end their hostilities, including promises to return his passport and drop pending charges.

He reiterated that he would never meet with Egbetokun, whom he insisted was no longer legally the Inspector General of Police.

“I made it clear that I will never meet with Kayode Egbetokun because, as far as I am concerned, he ceased to be the legitimate Inspector General of Police in Nigeria when he reached the statutory retirement age of 60 back in September 2024,” he said.

In recent weeks, Sowore has found himself at the centre of a deepening standoff with the Nigeria Police Force. The tension escalated following a series of invitations issued by the Inspector-General of Police’s Monitoring Unit, citing allegations of forgery and inciting disturbance.

On August 6, 2025, Sowore honoured one such invitation at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. He arrived with his legal team and supporters from the Take It Back Movement, carrying a travel bag that hinted at his preparedness for possible detention.

The police claimed his name featured prominently in a petition filed days earlier, but Sowore demanded a copy of the petition before proceeding with any interview—a request that was initially denied.

The activist, who was the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023, has been vocal in his criticism of the IGP Egbetokun. He has accused the IGP of illegally extending his tenure and fostering cronyism within the police promotion system.

These criticisms culminated in a protest led by Sowore on July 21, 2025, where he joined retired officers to demand improved welfare and pensions. During that protest, his AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses were stolen by a police cameraman.

Following his August 6 visit, Sowore was detained for over 48 hours, prompting outrage from civil society groups and his legal team.

His lawyers, Tope Temokun and Marshal Abubakar, described the detention as retaliatory and politically motivated, warning that Sowore’s safety in custody was at risk.

On August 12, the police formally charged Sowore with inciting mutiny, citing his role in the July protest.

Meanwhile, the police returned his stolen smart glasses, but the gesture did little to quell concerns about the fairness of the process.