The long-drawn legal battle between activist publisher Omoyele Sowore and Nigeria’s police hierarchy came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday as the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out the cyberbullying charge that once threatened to define the confrontation.
In a verdict that underscored the cost of prosecutorial lapses, Justice Musa Liman dismissed the cyberbullying case filed by former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, declaring that the prosecution had failed to pursue the matter with the diligence required by law.
What began in January 2025 as a sweeping 16-count charge bordering on cybercrime allegations steadily unraveled in court. Sowore, who pleaded not guilty at arraignment, had been drawn into the legal storm following a viral video in which he confronted police officers who stopped his vehicle at a Lagos checkpoint. 
Before the charges were filed, the police had summoned him over claims of cyberstalking, negligent conduct and intimidation—allegations that later crystallised into the criminal counts brought before the court.
Though granted bail with conditions that included the surrender of his passport, the case soon became defined less by substance and more by delay. Repeated adjournments stalled proceedings, stretching the matter over months without resolution.
The turning point came on March 17, when the prosecution sought yet another adjournment, citing the need to replace its lawyer. The request was firmly resisted by defence lawyer Abubakar Marshall, who urged the court to bring the lingering case to an end.
Justice Liman sided with the defence, ruling that the pattern of delays amounted to a failure of diligent prosecution, and struck out the charge.
In a last-ditch effort to revive the case, the police filed an ex parte motion seeking to relist it for a fresh trial. That move, however, quickly lost steam as the application was withdrawn.
When the matter returned to court on Tuesday, the judge formally struck out the relisting application, sealing the collapse of the case.
With the legal cloud lifted, Sowore’s passport was released through his lawyers, marking the final act in a prosecution that began with high stakes but ended in procedural defeat for the police.
