The Department of State Services arraigned former presidential candidate and publisher Omoyele Sowore before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday for suspected cybercrime offenses.
Sowore was arraigned on a five-count cybercrime charge of defamation, FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed by the DSS and two others.
The co-defendants are Meta (Facebook) Inc. and X Corporation (previously known as Twitter).
The DSS charged Sowore with making false and defamatory claims about President Bola Tinubu on his verified social media accounts, including calling him “a criminal” on his X and Facebook pages.
The allegation was filed days after the DSS ordered that the alleged defamatory posts be removed from Sowore’s social media accounts.
According to the prosecution, Sowore’s activities violated the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Although the case had already been deferred twice for arraignment, Sowore appeared in court on Tuesday.
In November, DSS attorney Akinolu Kehinde (SAN) requested that the court issue a bench warrant against Sowore for his absence despite the fact that the case was scheduled for that day, but Justice Mohammed Umar denied it and adjourned for arraignment.
When the proceedings began on Tuesday, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, questioned the charge’s competency, noting that the prosecution had already been served with a preliminary objection.
Lawyers for X Corporation and Meta Platforms did not object to the case moving forward.
However, Abubakar contended that the accusation was incompetent and that his client was unable to enter a plea.
Kehinde protested, saying that the defense’s application was not ready for hearing. He accused the defense of purposefully delaying the proceedings. Citing Section 396(3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015, he contended that the court must first hear the defendant’s plea before considering any other application.
In a quick decision, Justice Umar agreed with the prosecution and ordered the arraignment to continue.
After hearing the charges, Sowore pled not guilty to all five counts.
After his plea, Kehinde requested a trial date, but Abubakar informed the court that a bail application had been filed.
In his bail application dated August 18, Abubakar requested the court to admit his client to bail on self-recognition or the most liberal terms possible, portraying Sowore as a responsible citizen eager to face trial.
He informed the court that Sowore’s foreign passport had previously been deposited with the deputy chief registrar.
“My Lord, the defendant is a law-abiding citizen. He is a two-time presidential candidate. Just three days ago, the applicant won an election as chairman of a major political party in Nigeria, AAC,” Abubakar said.
He stated that Sowore is prepared to defend his innocence in court.
The DSS lawyer rejected the bail application, citing a 40-paragraph counter-affidavit.
While conceding that bail was at the court’s discretion, he urged the court to deny the motion, stating that Sowore had previously violated a court order and could commit a similar act if released.
He urged the court to take prudence and impose rigorous conditions if it decides to issue bail.
Lawyers for X and Meta did not contest the bail application.
In his ruling, Justice Umar admitted Sowore to bail on self-recognition, noting his past presidential candidature and the fact that his passport remained with the court.
He did, however, prohibit Sowore from making utterances that threatened national unity and peace.
The judge warned that Sowore’s bail would be withdrawn if he made comments that were judged damaging to national peace and security.
Justice Umar then adjourned the case to January 19, 2026, for the start of the trial.
