Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed October 27, 2025, for the arraignment of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on alleged cybercrime charges.
The scheduled arraignment on Tuesday was stalled due to the non-service of the five-count charge on Sowore.
At the proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions from the Ministry of Justice told the court that the government was ready to arraign Sowore, X Corporation, and Meta (Facebook) Inc., as first to third respondents.
Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar, however, informed the court that his client had not been served with the charges. Counsel for the third respondent also aligned with this submission, stating that he had only just been served in court. The second defendant was unrepresented.
The case involves an alleged offensive post Sowore made on his official X handle on August 25, which the prosecution said contravenes Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had earlier filed the charges against Sowore, X Corp, and Meta, accusing him of posting false and inciting statements about President Bola Tinubu. The DSS had on September 8 issued Sowore a one-week ultimatum to delete the post, which expired on September 15 without compliance.
In response, Sowore filed two fundamental rights suits at the Federal High Court against the DSS, Meta, and X Corp, challenging what his lawyers described as “unconstitutional censorship” of his accounts.
His legal team, led by Tope Temokun, argued that the matter was about safeguarding free speech in Nigeria, warning that “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.”
