The Federal Government, FG, on Tuesday dragged Omoyele Sowore before a Federal High Court over an alleged defamatory publication against President Bola Tinubu on social media platforms, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.
FG, in the charge it entered before the Federal High Court in Abuja through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, M. B. Abubakar, maintained that Sowore, by the false accusation, committed offences contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
Equally cited as 2nd and 3rd defendants in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/ CR/ 484/2025, are the two social media platforms where the post was shared- ‘X’ Incorp (former Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.
READ ALSO: DSS gives Sowore one-week ultimatum over inciting post on Tinubu
Sowore’s contentious post on August 25, came after President Tinubu, while on an official visit in Brazil, claimed that his administration had successfully ended corruption in Nigeria.
It appeared the charge FG filed on Tuesday followed the refusal of both Sowore and the social media platforms to accede to the request by the DSS.
Some of the count is in the charge, read: “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male, on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official X Handle page, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/ tweet as: “THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT TO BRAZIL TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY”, which you know the said message to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
“That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male, on or about the 26th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official Facebook page, Omoyele Sowore, to send out a message/ post as: “THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT To anazit STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY, ” which you know the said message/post to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
READ ALSO: Sowore rejects DSS demand to retract critical posts against Tinubu
“That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, using the instrumentality of X, via your official X account @Yele Sowore, did knowingly published defamatory material on your online platform viz: “THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT TO BRAZIL TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY”, against the personality and reputation of the President and CommanderinChief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.”
No date has been fixed for the defendants to be arraigned.
