Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned till Friday May 8 to rule on the no-case submission filed by an activist, Omoyele Sowore who is standing trial for allegedly calling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a “criminal”.
The court fixed the date after hearing and adoption of written addresses for and against the no case submission filed on April 21, 2026 by Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, an online media platform.
While adopting the no case- submission, Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar told the court that, the prosecution failed to link his client with the alleged offences.
In the no case submission, Sowore applied that the court should dismiss the charge against him, discharge and acquit him from the two-count cyberbullying charge on the ground that prima facie case was not made against him.
Marshall Abubakar said, upon the review of the evidence, the complainant failed to link his client with the two-count charge filed against him by the federal government.
According to the lawyer, the prosecution failed to call vital witness which was vital to its case and prayed the court to grant the no-case submission filed by the defendant.
While opposing the no-case submission, the prosecution counsel, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN said, the prosecution filed a response on April 23 in urging the court to refuse the prayers of the defendant in the no-case application.
Kehinde urged the court to dismiss the no-case submission and hold that the prosecution has established a prima facie case on all the essential ingredients of the offences charged in the two-count charge.
He told the court that, the Department of State Services (DSS) is not obligated to wait untill an actual breakdown of law and order occurred before taking action and that, the evidence of the first prosecution witness (PW1) is sufficient to ensure the defendant put in his defence if he has it.
After the adoption of the processes filed in the matter, the trial judge adjourned till May 8 for ruling on the no-case submission filed by Sowore.
The DSS, prosecuting Sowore on behalf of the federal government had amended the Cyberbullying charges brought against Sowore.
In the amended charge filed on December 5, 2025 Sowore, a Presidential candidate of the Action Alliance Congress (AAC) was re-arraigned by DSS on two count charges bothering on defamation of Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The new charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 and signed by Akinlolu Kehinde SAN on behalf of the federal government.
Count one of the charge reads, “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male, on or about the 25th day of August 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly or intentionally send a message by means of a computer system or network, to wit: your official “X” (formerly Twitter) handle page, @YeleSowore wherein you posted the following message/tweet: ‘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, which message you knew to be fake and posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria, posing a threat to life, or causing such message to be sent and thereby committed the offence of Cyberstalking contrary to Section 24(1) (b) and 24(2) (a), (6), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Amendment) Act, 2024 and punishable under the same section.
Count two reads, “That you Omoyele Sowore, Adult, Male, on or about the 25th day of August, 2025. within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly or intentionally send a message by means of a computer system or network, to wit: your Official Facebook handle page. @YeleSowore, wherein you posted the following message/post: “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” which message you knew to be false and posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria, posing a threat fo life or causing such message to be sent and thereby committed the offence of Cyberstalking contrary fo Section 241(b) and 24(2) (a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, (Amendment) Act 2024 and punishable under the some section.
However, Sowore had pleaded not guilty to the two count charges when read to him, prompting the DSS to call its witnesses and also tendered exhibits to establish the Cyberbullying charges.
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