The Federal Government has filed a criminal suit against Mr. Omoyele Sowore, politician and activist, for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu on social media.
A news report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicated that the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and listed Meta (Facebook) Inc. and X Inc. (formerly Twitter) as co-defendants.
The five-count charge dated September 16 and filed by the Director of Public Prosecution at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Barr. Mohammed Abubakar, accused Sowore of publishing false and defamatory claims against President Tinubu.
Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019 and 2023, in the legal suit was alleged to have referred to President Tinubu as “a criminal” in a social media post.
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The government had, on seeing the publication, described it as false and intended to provoke a breakdown of law and order.
Specifically, one of the cited posts from Sowore’s verified X handle, @YeleSowore, allegedly reads: “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!”
In the five-count charge of the suit, the prosecution contended that Sowore’s remarks contravened the Section 24 (1) (b) provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.
The Act criminalizes the use of electronic platforms to spread false information intended to cause public unrest or damage reputations.
The suit was formally filed some days after the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly requested that Meta and X take down Sowore’s posts.
The latest suit filed against the Sahara Reporters publisher has added to the growing list of prosecutions under the Cybercrimes Act, which recently had become one of the most cited legislations in Nigeria’s digital space to combat cybercriminals in the country.
