The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 22 for the definite trial of activist Omoyele Sowore in the amended cyberbullying charges brought against him by the Department of State Service DSS for calling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a ‘criminal’.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar on Monday fixed the trial date shortly after Sowore was re-arraigned on an amended two-count charge.
In the amended charge filed on December 5, 2025, Sowore, a two-time presidential candidate, was arraigned by DSS on two-count charges concerning 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, That you, Omoyele Sowore, an 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 @officlolABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to shamelessly post a message which you knew to be fake for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. posing a threat to life, or causing such a message to be sent, and thereby committed the offence of cyberstalking contrary to Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a)(6) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and punishable under the same section.
COUNT Two for you. Omoyele Sowore, an 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 flee 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 to life, or causing such a message to be sent and thereby committing the offence of cyberstalking contrary to Sections 241(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, and punishable under the same section.
However, Sowore pleaded not guilty to the two-count charges when read to him.
The attempt to open the trial was, however, stalled due to complaints by Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshall, that the names of the witnesses and their particulars were not attached to the proof of evidence as required by law.
He claimed that the refusal to name the witnesses and disclose their identities violated Section 36 of the 1999 Act, which compels a fair hearing in any matter of the nature.
Concerted efforts by the lawyer to DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), could not help the matter, prompting the judge to shift the trial date to January 22.
The judge ordered Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) to comply with the provisions of the law by listing the names of the witnesses and their particulars and to also supply the defendant with necessary documents that would aid his preparation for defence.
Also on Monday, the judge struck out the names of two foreign defendants following the application by counsel to DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde SAN, withdrawing them from the new charge.
In a short ruling, Justice Umar removed X Corp., the owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, as co-defendants in the new case.
The charge summarises that the Defendant is standing trial on a two (2) count charge of cyberstalking contrary to Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The prosecution alleges that the Defendant knowingly and intentionally sent messages he knew to be false through his official “X” (formerly Twitter) and Facebook handles, wherein he published the statement: “This criminal @ofliclolABA! actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to shamelessly lie’
The prosecution contends that by referring to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as a “criminal”, the Defendant published a false statement for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order, posing a threat to or causing such a message to be sent.
The charges are said to be punishable with a fine of a minimum of fifteen million naira or five years’ imprisonment.
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