ABUJA — The Federal Government has filed a five-count charge against activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, over a social media post in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The charge, entered on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. M. B. Abubakar, also cited social media giants X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Inc. (Facebook) as co-defendants.
According to the prosecution, Sowore’s August 25 post was not only false but aimed at inciting public disorder and tarnishing the reputation of President Tinubu. The activist had reacted to Tinubu’s remarks in Brazil, where the President claimed his administration had successfully ended corruption in Nigeria.
“THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT TO BRAZIL TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY,” Sowore wrote on both X and Facebook.
The Department of State Services (DSS) subsequently demanded that Sowore delete the post and urged the platforms to suspend his accounts. Both Sowore and the companies reportedly ignored the directive, prompting the charges.
The government argued that the posts violated 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. Exhibits to be presented in court include printouts of the contentious posts and DSS correspondence with the platforms.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, accuses Sowore of deliberately spreading falsehood with intent to incite division and discredit the President.
As of press time, no date has been fixed for the arraignment of Sowore and the social media platforms.
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