The Federal Government has filed a five-count criminal charge against politician and activist Omoyele Sowore, accusing him of cyberbullying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through social media posts.
Court filings obtained show that the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja and also names Meta (Facebook) Inc. and Elon Musk’s X Inc. (formerly Twitter) as co-defendants.
The charge, dated September 16 and signed by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alleges that Sowore published false and defamatory statements against the President.
According to the court filing, Sowore—publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 elections—allegedly described President Tinubu as “a criminal” in a social media post.
The Federal Government contends that the remark was false and calculated to incite public disorder.
One of the posts cited in the charge, allegedly from Sowore’s verified X account, @YeleSowore, read:
“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!”
The prosecution argues that Sowore’s remarks violated the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, particularly Section 24(1)(b), which criminalizes the use of computer systems or networks to transmit false information with intent to cause annoyance, inconvenience, danger, or breach of public peace.
The Act criminalizes the use of electronic platforms to disseminate false information aimed at inciting public unrest or damaging reputations.
The suit against Sowore comes just days after the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly asked Meta and X to remove his posts.
His prosecution adds to a growing list of cases under the Cybercrimes Act, which has become one of the most frequently invoked laws in Nigeria’s digital space.
In March 2024, social media activist Okoli Chioma was arraigned in Anambra State for allegedly posting false claims about a businessman’s private life on Facebook—an early test of the amended law.
