The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore three days to study the cybercrime charges filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Sowore was scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Mohammed Garba on Tuesday, but the proceedings were stalled due to the non-service of the charges on him.
He and his co-defendants were to be docked for allegedly making false posts about President Bola Tinubu with the intent to cause a breakdown of law and order. The other defendants are X and Meta Platforms (Facebook), listed as the second and third defendants, respectively.
The DSS, as plaintiff, filed a five-count criminal charge (FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025) accusing Sowore of using his official X handle, @YeleSowore, to post defamatory content about President Tinubu.
In one of the alleged posts, Sowore reportedly wrote: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The charge claims the post violated Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Act 2024 and was made on August 25, 2025, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.
Count two alleges that Sowore posted the same message on his official Facebook page on August 26, 2025, intending to incite public disorder, particularly among Nigerians with divergent views about President Tinubu.
Counts three and four accuse him of publishing defamatory material against the president through his X and Facebook accounts, contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code.
Count five alleges that Sowore, intending to cause public fear and disturbance, published false information harming the reputation of the president, contrary to Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act.
At Tuesday’s sitting, Sowore’s lead counsel, Abubakar Marshall, protested that his client had not been served with the charges, as required by law. He also noted that the second defendant had not been served, making the arraignment improper.
Counsel for the Federal Government, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), insisted that Sowore had been served.
However, Justice Garba, after reviewing the case file, confirmed that service had not been effected.
The DPPF applied to serve Sowore in open court, which the judge allowed.
Sowore accepted the documents and requested three days to study the charges and prepare his defense, as provided by law.
Despite objections from the DPPF, Justice Garba upheld the request and adjourned the arraignment to October 27.
“The court will adjourn to the 27th day of October for the arraignment of the defendants,” he said.
While the second defendant, X, had no legal representation, Professor Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) represented Meta Platforms (Facebook), the third defendant.
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