September 30, (THEWILL) — The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 27, 2025, for the arraignment of Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, on a five-count charge bordering on cyberbullying, defamation, and publishing false information against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) and also lists X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc., owners of Facebook and Instagram, as co-defendants.
According to the prosecution, Sowore, in posts made on August 25 and 26, 2025, described President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying during an official visit to Brazil about his administration’s anti-corruption record.
The DSS said it wrote to X and Meta demanding removal of the posts, but Sowore refused.
The charges include cyberbullying, cyberstalking, defamation, publishing false information, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace. Prosecutors alleged the remarks were intended to incite public distrust in the Presidency.
Excerpts from the charge sheet accuse Sowore of knowingly publishing false and defamatory content via his X handle, @YeleSowore, and his Facebook page, calling the President a “criminal” and accusing him of shamelessly lying about corruption.
The DSS said such remarks were capable of provoking law and order breaches.
When the matter came up on Tuesday before Justice Mohammed Umar, Sowore’s lawyer objected to the charges being read, arguing that his client had not been properly served.
Justice Umar, however, directed that Sowore be served in open court and adjourned the case to October 27 for arraignment.
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