Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has urged the Nigeria Police Force to stop serving as a “private army” for wealthy and influential citizens.
Sowore made the call on X (formerly Twitter) while reacting to a case involving singer Adekunle Gold.
A social media user was reportedly jailed for two years over a fake post about the singer’s daughter.
The activist referenced a 2012 tweet by Adekunle Gold criticising former President Goodluck Jonathan, in which the singer wrote: “Dear God, if you give us Dagrin back, we will give you Jonathan in return. Lol.”
Sowore questioned how someone who once benefited from freedom of expression could later use the police, courts, and cybercrime laws against ordinary Nigerians for online banter.
“This was @AdekunleGold in 2012 openly criticizing then President @GoodluckJonathan. Back then, it was rightly called free speech... You cannot enjoy free speech when you are powerless and criminalize it the moment you become influential,” he wrote.
He added: “The Nigeria Police Force @PoliceNG must stop acting as a private army for the rich and famous, while the judiciary must stop handing down outrageous punishments over internet speech that should never be criminal matters in the first place.”
Sowore stressed that freedom of expression must apply equally to celebrities, politicians, activists, and ordinary young Nigerians on social media.
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