The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the scheduled arraignment of Omoyele Sowore, activist and #RevolutionNow convener, and online media platform SaharaReporters, following the prosecution’s failure to serve court summons on the second defendant.
The case, which scheduled before Justice Emeka Nwite, involves three counts filed by the Nigeria Police Force, accusing Sowore and SaharaReporters of forgery, criminal defamation, and incitement to mutiny.
Although Sowore was present in court, the prosecution informed the judge that SaharaReporters had not been served.
The court had previously granted an order for substituted service through publication, but the prosecution stated that the publication was not yet completed.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to September 15, 2025, to allow for proper service and to address pending preliminary objections.
The charges stem from reports published on SaharaReporters in July, which alleged a police promotion scandal and highlighted Sowore’s involvement in protests by retired police officers over pension reforms.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants allegedly conspired to forge a police wireless message dated July 30, 2025, purportedly signed by the Principal Staff Officer to the Inspector-General of Police.
Sowore is also accused of posting the forged document and other materials on his Facebook page the following day, with the intent to incite mutiny within the police force and the public.
Read also: Court orders six banks to release Sowore’s account records to police
In an affidavit submitted by Bassey Ibitham, a police officer with the Legal Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, the police stated that although investigations are ongoing, they are ready to proceed with prosecution.
The police plan to call five witnesses, including Assistant Commissioners of Police Anthony Uba and Bukola Kuti, whose petitions initiated the investigation.
ACP Uba alleged that the forged wireless message was circulated to discredit the Nigeria Police Force, while ACP Kuti claimed that defamatory reports published on SaharaReporters linked her to an alleged affair with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun allegations she said damaged her reputation and personal life.
Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, raised a preliminary objection, challenging the competence of the charges and the jurisdiction of the court.
He described the case as politically motivated, citing Sowore’s advocacy for retired police officers.
Recalled that earlier in August, Sowore was arrested by police and the same allegations.
During his detention, he claimed that officers broke his right wrist and described the charges as part of a wider pattern of political harassment. He was released after a few days in custody.
The matter is now scheduled to continue on September 15, when the court is expected to address both the arraignment and the preliminary objections, depending on the outcome of the service on SaharaReporters.
