The Federal Government (FG), has filed a five-count charge against prominent activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, for a social media post in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The charges were filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The lawsuit, initiated by the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, M. B. Abubakar, also names social media platforms ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) as the second and third defendants.
The case is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025. The core of the dispute is a post Sowore made on August 25, 2025, following a statement by Tinubu in Brazil where the President claimed his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
The Port City News earlier reported that Sowore’s post on both his X and Facebook accounts stated: “This criminal @officialpbat actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly.”
FG alleged that Sowore’s statement is false and was posted with the intent to “cause a breakdown of law and order in the country” and to tarnish the President’s reputation.
The charges against Sowore are 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.
According to the government, the defamatory post was intended to cause discord among citizens with differing views on Tinubu.
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Before the legal action, the Department of State Services (DSS) had reportedly written to both X and Meta, demanding that they ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the controversial post.
The security agency also sent a letter to Sowore himself, asking him to delete the statement from all platforms. The filing of the charge appears to follow the refusal of Sowore and the social media companies to comply with the DSS’s request.
Among the evidence the government plans to use in court are printouts of Sowore’s social media posts and the letters the DSS sent to the two platforms.
While no date has been set for the arraignment of the defendants, the case marks a significant development in the government’s efforts to regulate online speech and address what it considers to be false and malicious accusations against public officials.
