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The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count criminal charge against Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), alongside two global tech companies—X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc., owners of Facebook—before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
PRNigeria gathered that the charges stem from Sowore’s alleged refusal to delete what the DSS described as “false, malicious, and inciting” posts against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his verified X and Facebook accounts.
On September 8, the DSS had issued a one-week ultimatum to Sowore to pull down the posts, but the directive reportedly expired without compliance. Both X Corp and Meta also declined a DSS request to deactivate the activist’s accounts.
The case was filed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside four other DSS counsel—M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
According to the charge sheet, Sowore allegedly made posts on August 25 and 26, 2025, describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accusing him of lying about corruption in Nigeria during an official trip to Brazil.
The DSS said Sowore knew the claims were false but disseminated them to incite public disorder and disaffection against the President.
One of the counts read: “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult male, on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official X handle page, @YeleSowore, to send out a message which you know to be false but posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.”
The second count alleged that Sowore repeated the same post on his official Facebook page on August 26. The third and fourth counts accused him of publishing defamatory material against the person and office of the President, contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act. The fifth count alleged he circulated false information with intent to cause fear and public disturbance, in violation of Section 59 of the same Act.
The DSS insisted that Sowore’s posts, left unchecked, were capable of undermining national security and triggering a breakdown of law and order.
The case is yet to be assigned to a trial judge for hearing in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Sowore has publicly defended his comments, insisting that he has the constitutional right to free expression and to hold leaders accountable.
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