The Federal Government has filed a five-count charge against activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, after he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in a viral social media post.
The case, lodged before the Federal High Court in Abuja, also drags X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (owners of Facebook) into the dock as second and third defendants. The charges were entered through the Director of Public Prosecutions, M. B. Abubakar.
Sowore’s Viral Post and DSS Reaction
Sowore’s controversial post came on August 25, shortly after President Tinubu claimed during an official visit to Brazil that his administration had “successfully ended corruption” in Nigeria.
Angered by the statement, Sowore posted on both X and Facebook, calling the President a “criminal” and accusing him of lying shamelessly. The Department of State Services (DSS) immediately stepped in, writing to X and Meta to pull down the post and suspend Sowore’s accounts.
The DSS also wrote directly to the activist, demanding he delete the post. When both Sowore and the social media giants refused, the Federal Government filed charges.
The Charges and Legal Background
According to court papers, Sowore’s post was intended to “tarnish the reputation of President Tinubu” and “cause a breakdown of law and order.”
The government is relying on the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Criminal Code Act to prosecute the case. Among its exhibits are printouts of Sowore’s posts and copies of the DSS letters to X and Meta.
This is not the first time Sowore is facing trial under Nigeria’s cybercrime laws. In 2019, he was arrested and charged for calling for a nationwide protest tagged #RevolutionNow, sparking a long legal battle that drew global attention.
So far, no date has been fixed for Sowore and the other defendants to take their plea in court.
