FG AMENDS CYBERCRIME CHARGES AGAINST SOWORE, DROPS X AND META AS DEFENDANTS

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Agency Report

The Federal Government has amended the cybercrime charges it filed against activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, over a social media post in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”

In the amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 and dated December 4, 2025, the Federal Government removed X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook) as defendants. The two social media companies had earlier been listed as the second and third defendants in the case.

The amended charge, signed by a team of prosecutors comprising three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and led by Mr Akinolu Kehinde, SAN, also reduced the number of counts from five in the original charge to two.

Sowore, who was initially arraigned on December 2, 2025, is expected to take a fresh plea before trial Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the initial charge and was subsequently granted bail on self-recognisance.

According to the prosecution, Sowore is alleged to have committed offences contrary to 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.

The charges stem from a post Sowore made on August 25, 2025, following President Tinubu’s remarks during an official visit to Brazil, where the President reportedly stated that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.

In reaction, Sowore described the President as a “criminal” in posts shared on his X and Facebook accounts.

The Department of State Services (DSS), angered by the post, subsequently wrote to X and Meta, demanding the removal of the statement and the suspension of Sowore’s accounts. The security agency also directed Sowore to delete the post across all platforms.

The charge was filed after Sowore and the social media platforms allegedly refused to comply with the DSS directive.

The prosecution contended that the post was intended to cause a breakdown of law and order, particularly among Nigerians with divergent political views, and was aimed at tarnishing the image and reputation of President Tinubu.

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Exhibits tendered by the prosecution include printouts of Sowore’s posts on X and Facebook, as well as correspondence from the DSS to the social media companies.

At his earlier arraignment, Sowore pleaded not guilty, while his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, applied for bail and informed the court that the defendant had also filed a motion challenging the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the charge.

The prosecution, led by Mr Kehinde, SAN, opposed the bail application, arguing that Sowore posed a flight risk, and requested time to respond to the preliminary objection.

In his ruling, Justice Umar granted Sowore bail on self-recognisance, noting that the defendant had previously contested presidential elections and had surrendered his international passport to the court.

However, the court barred Sowore from making statements capable of jeopardising public peace and security, warning that his bail would be revoked if he violated the condition.

With the amended charge now filed, the court is expected to fix a date for Sowore to take a fresh plea and for the commencement of trial.