The Federal Government of Nigeria has amended its criminal charges against human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in a case alleging cyberbullying of President Bola Tinubu. The revised charge sheet, filed in December 2025 before the Federal High Court in Abuja under Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, now lists two counts against Sowore, with Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp. removed as co-defendants.
The charges relate to posts Sowore made on August 25, 2025, on his official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts, in which he referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying about ending corruption in Nigeria. The government alleges the posts were knowingly false and intended to cause public disorder or threaten lives.
Count One concerns Sowore’s X post, while Count Two addresses the identical Facebook post. Both charges are brought under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, specifically provisions on cyberstalking. The prosecution argues that the statements constitute criminal conduct under the law.
The amended charges were signed on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Kehinde & Partners LP, with a prosecution team including Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN (UK); Olukayode Enitan, SAN; Adeyemi Pitan, SAN; Kenneth E. Cyril Ita, Esq.; and I.C. Anigbogu, Esq. The case is pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Earlier charges, filed in September 2025 by the Department of State Services (DSS), included Meta and X as co-defendants and contained five counts related to Sowore’s social media posts. The earlier charges accused him of defaming the President and publishing false information intended to create public fear and disturbance.
