The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the arraignment of Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, to October 27.
Justice Mohammed Umar granted the adjournment on Tuesday to allow Sowore time to prepare his defence.
Sowore, who contested the presidency under the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 elections, is facing a five-count charge.
The Department of State Services (DSS), acting on behalf of the Federal Government, filed the case against Sowore, X Inc. (formerly Twitter), and Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook), naming them as the first, second, and third defendants.
The case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was filed on September 16.
Sowore is alleged to have made a defamatory statement about President Bola Tinubu, referring to him as “a criminal” in posts shared on his Facebook and X accounts.
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When the case was called on Tuesday, Sowore and Meta’s legal representative were present in court, but no counsel appeared for X.
DSS counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, requested that the charges be read to the defendants to enable them to enter their pleas. However, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, objected.
He argued that the charge had not been formally served on his client and noted that all defendants must be represented in court, especially in a case involving multiple parties.
He added that the second defendant, X, must be represented to confirm proper service.
The judge noted that court records showed both Meta and X had been served electronically via email.
The DSS counsel then sought permission to serve the charge on Sowore in open court. Justice Umar granted the request, as there was no objection from either Abubakar or Meta’s counsel, Mofesomo Tayo-Oyetibo, SAN.
Abubakar also requested an adjournment to give Sowore time to prepare his defence in accordance with Section 282(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The court granted the request and adjourned the arraignment to October 27.
The charge was filed shortly after the DSS asked Sowore to remove the alleged defamatory posts from his Facebook and X accounts.
Sowore is accused of violating the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In the first count, the prosecution alleges that on or about August 25, Sowore used his X account, @YeleSowore, to post the following message:
“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 message is alleged to be false and intended to incite public disorder, particularly among individuals with differing views about the president.
The alleged offence contravenes Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, among other provisions.
