FG drags Sowore, Facebook, X to court over “criminal” post against Tinubu
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By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, filed a five-count charge against Omoyele Sowore, an activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a post he shared on social media platforms.
FG, in the charge it entered before the Federal High Court in Abuja through the Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. 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 the 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 (formerly Twitter) and Meta Incorp (Facebook).
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.
Irked by the post that referenced President Tinubu as a “criminal,” the Department of State Services, DSS, wrote the two social media platforms to demand a ban on Sowore’s account and for the said vexatious statement to be pulled down.
The security agency also wrote a letter to the activist, asking him to delete the post from all platforms where it was shared.
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.
According to FG, the purpose of Sowore’s post was to cause a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on President Tinubu’s personality.
It maintained that the defamatory post was intended to tarnish the personality and reputation of President Tinubu.
Among the exhibits FG said it would rely on in the case were a printout of Sowore’s posts on X and Facebook, as well as the letters DSS wrote to the two platforms.
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.
“That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, using the instrurnentality 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.”
Meanwhile, no date has been fixed for the defendants to be arraigned.
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