The Federal Government has revised cybercrime charges against activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, removing social media companies X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. as co-defendants in the case stemming from his criticism of President Bola Tinubu.
In the amended charge dated December 4, 2025, and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, prosecutors led by Senior Advocate Akinolu Kehinde removed the two technology platforms that were originally listed as second and third defendants. The revision also cuts the charges from five counts to two.
Sowore, who leads the African Action Congress (AAC), now faces charges solely related to a social media post from August 25, 2025, in which he called President Tinubu a “criminal” following the president’s claim during a Brazil visit that his administration had eliminated corruption in Nigeria.
The activist appeared before Justice Mohammed Umar on December 2, 2025, entering a not guilty plea. The court granted him bail on self-recognizance but prohibited him from making statements that could threaten national peace and security.
Prosecutors allege Sowore violated Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, along with sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act. They claim his post, shared on both X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, was intentionally false and designed to incite disorder among citizens with differing views about the president.
The Department of State Services (DSS) initially contacted both social media platforms requesting they ban Sowore’s account and remove the contentious statement. The agency also sent Sowore a letter demanding he delete the posts. The criminal charges followed after both the platforms and Sowore declined these requests.
Evidence presented to the court includes screenshots of Sowore’s posts and correspondence between DSS and the social media companies.
Sowore’s legal team, headed by Marshall Abubakar, has filed a motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction over the matter. During the initial hearing, prosecution counsel Kehinde opposed bail, arguing the defendant presented a flight risk. However, Justice Umar sided with the defense, noting Sowore’s status as a two-time presidential candidate and his surrender of his international passport to the court.
The judge cautioned that bail would be revoked if the defendant violates the conditions set by the court. Sowore is expected to enter a fresh plea following the amended charges.
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