Alleged Cybercrime: Court Fixes Date For Sowore’s Arraignment
THECONSCIENCE NG reports that Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the arraignment of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to October 27, 2025.
The scheduled arraignment on Tuesday was stalled due to the prosecution’s failure to serve the five-count charge of alleged cybercrime on Sowore and other parties.
During the proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) from the Federal Ministry of Justice informed the court of the government’s readiness to arraign Sowore, along with X Corporation and Meta (Facebook) Inc., who are listed as the first, second, and third respondents respectively.
However, Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar, told the court that neither he nor his client had been served with the charges. Counsel for Meta also aligned with this position, stating he had just been briefed in court.
Sowore is accused of publishing an allegedly offensive post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on August 25, an act said to violate Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2024.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which initiated the legal action, filed the charges in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice. The five-count charge was brought against Sowore, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
On September 8, the DSS issued a one-week ultimatum to Sowore, demanding he delete what it described as a “false, malicious, and inciting” social media post about President Bola Tinubu. The deadline expired on September 15 without compliance.
In response, Sowore filed two separate fundamental rights lawsuits at the Federal High Court against the DSS, Meta, and X Corp. His legal team, led by Tope Temokun, said the lawsuits challenge what they describe as unconstitutional censorship of Sowore’s social media accounts.
Temokun emphasized that the cases are about defending freedom of expression in Nigeria, stating:
“If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe. Their voices will be silenced at the whims of those in power.”
The court is expected to resume proceedings on the matter on October 27.
