By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a criminal charge against human rights activist and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore, for allegedly making a false claim against the person of the President, Bola Tinubu, by referring to him as a criminal.
The five-count charge was filed on Tuesday before the Federal High Court in Abuja, a few days after an earlier request by the DSS on Facebook and X, the platforms allegedly deployed by Sowore for his said false claim, to pull the misleading message down.
The charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, Meta (Facebook) Incorp, and X Incorp are listed with Sowore as defendants.
Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019 and 2023, and publisher of Sahara Reporters, is in charge and accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
The Nation learnt that his arraignment on the charge is scheduled for any time soon.
Counts in the charge 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, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/tweet as: ‘
“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!,” which you know the said message to be false but posted it 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) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025 did use your official Facebook page, Omoyele Sowore, to send out a message/post as: “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!,” which you know the said message/post to be false, but posted it 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) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, mate on or about the 25th day of August, 2025 using the instrumentality of X, via your official X account @Yele Sowore, did knowingly published defamatory material on your online platform viz: “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!” against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025 using the instrumentality of Facebook, via your official Facebook account Omoyele Sowore, did knowingly published defamatory material on your online platform viz: “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!,” against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
*That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 26th day of August, 2025, with intent to cause public fear and disturbance, published false information on your official X and Facebook account @Yele Sowore, respectively, against the personality and reputation of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Anmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act and punishable under the same Act.