Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled October 27, 2025, for the arraignment of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore. The proceedings, initially set for Tuesday, September 30, 2025, were postponed after it was confirmed that Sowore had not been served with the five-count charge of alleged cybercrime brought against him.
During the session, the Director of Public Prosecution from the Ministry of Justice informed the court that the government was prepared to arraign Sowore alongside X Corporation and Meta (Facebook) Inc., listed as the first, second, and third respondents, respectively. However, Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar, objected, stating that his client had yet to receive the charges. Counsel representing Meta supported this submission, noting that he himself had only just been served in court. The second respondent, X Corporation, was not represented at the hearing.
The charges against Sowore stem from an alleged offensive post made on his official X handle on August 25. Authorities claim the post falls within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court and contravenes Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act, 2024.
The Department of State Services (DSS) initiated the case, filing a five-count charge through its legal representatives at the Federal Ministry of Justice. The DSS had previously issued Sowore a one-week ultimatum on September 8 to delete what it described as a “false, malicious, and inciting” social media post about President Bola Tinubu. The ultimatum expired on September 15 without Sowore complying, prompting the agency to proceed with the case.
In response, Sowore launched two fundamental rights lawsuits at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the DSS, Meta, and X Corp. His legal team, led by Tope Temokun, stated that the action was filed to challenge what they called “unconstitutional censorship” of Sowore’s accounts on the social media platforms.
Temokun emphasized that the matter goes beyond Sowore’s personal rights, insisting it concerns the future of free speech in Nigeria. According to him, “if state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe, their voices will be silenced at the whims of those in power.”
The upcoming arraignment is expected to test the balance between government regulation of online content and the protection of constitutional rights, particularly freedom of expression, in Nigeria’s digital space.
