The Federal Government is preparing to arraign human rights advocate and publisher Omoyele Sowore over a five-count charge related to alleged false statements made against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which are said to have threatened public order. Sowore appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the formal arraignment.
okaynews.com reports that the suit, filed on September 16, 2025, follows Sowore’s refusal to remove controversial posts accusing the president of dishonesty.
Sowore, known as the 2019 and 2023 African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, allegedly posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on August 25, the statement: “This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The Department of State Services (DSS), acting on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, brought the charges citing violations of Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024 as well as sections of the Criminal Code Act. Legal representatives including M.B. Abubakar and other DSS counsel filed the case.
Sowore has openly stated via social media that the charges are unfounded and largely political. “The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG today filed a 5-count charge… They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences,” he wrote, affirming his intention to stand trial.
The suit also names social media companies X Inc. and Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, as co-defendants for hosting the posts. Sowore’s defiant stance against deleting the tweet escalated legal tensions that highlight ongoing debates about freedom of speech and national security in Nigeria.
