Adeyanju made the remark while addressing journalists shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the seizure of Sowore’s passport.
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Wednesday said Omoyele Sowore “delivered his polling booth” by ensuring the removal of former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, from office.
Adeyanju made the remark while addressing journalists shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the seizure of Sowore’s passport.
He stated that Egbetokun “inherited unnecessary enemies” for his principal, the President, adding that no public official remains in office forever.
“As a public official, whether elected, appointed or a civil servant, you will not be in power forever. Karma has come for (Abubakar) Malami, for (Nasir) El-Rufai and for Egbetokun. It will still come for many others in government because they will soon be out of office,” he said.
Adeyanju described public service as a trust and alleged that some officials used their offices to victimise citizens.
“We cannot talk about Egbetokun without mentioning those who went about arresting people for criticising him online. Where is that power today?” he asked.
He warned the newly appointed Acting Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to respect human rights and avoid deploying the police to persecute citizens.
“There is no permanent friend in the jungle. If he refuses to do what is right and respect human rights, we will challenge him the same way we challenged his predecessor without apologies,” Adeyanju said.
The lawyer also called for the withdrawal of police officers attached to private individuals, alleging that thousands remain assigned to VIPs despite directives.
“Close to 100,000 police officers are still attached to VIPs. Many have removed their uniforms and are operating in mufti. They must return to the barracks and focus on core policing duties,” he added.
Adeyanju maintained that redeploying officers to internal security operations would help address the country’s security challenges.
“Police officers have no business serving as aides to private citizens. Their responsibility is to safeguard internal security. The new IGP must take control from day one and ensure that police prosecutorial powers are not used to persecute citizens for criticising politicians or public officials,” he said.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep