Thursday, November 6, 2025 - The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday declined a request by the Department of State Services to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, who is facing five counts of criminal defamation.
Sowore is being prosecuted alongside Meta (Facebook) Inc.
and X Corp. (formerly Twitter) over allegedly defamatory posts on his verified
social media platforms targeting President Bola Tinubu.
In the charge, the DSS alleged that Sowore published false
statements that damaged the President’s reputation by referring to him as “a
criminal” on his Facebook and X handles.
According to the DSS, Sowore made the post during Tinubu’s
recent trip to Brazil where the President told an audience that his
administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
“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! “the activist had posted.
In the charges, the DSS said Sowore knew the post to be
false and published 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.”
The agency said the post contravenes the Cybercrimes
(Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde
(SAN), asked Justice Mohammed Umar to issue a bench warrant following Sowore’s
absence and the lack of legal representation on his behalf.
He argued that the defendant had been duly served with the
charge and hearing notice.
Kehinde described Sowore’s absence as “an affront to the
sanctity of the court,” insisting that an arrest order should be issued
“wherever he might be found.”
He also drew attention to a letter from activist Deji
Adeyanju requesting an adjournment on behalf of Sowore, a move he described as
an attempt “to take the court for granted.”
Counsel for Meta (Facebook) Inc., Tayo Oyetibo (SAN),
supported the prosecution, arguing that Sowore was deliberately avoiding court
proceedings and that the adjournment request was “a distraction.”
However, Justice Umar declined to issue the warrant, noting
that X Corp. informed the court that it had not yet been served with the formal
charge sheet, even though it received a hearing notice.
Counsel to X Corp., Christabel Ndiokwelo, confirmed that her
client had only received a hearing notice but not the substantive charge.
In view of the submissions, Justice Umar directed that all
defendants be duly served with the required court documents and adjourned the
matter to December 2, 2025, for arraignment.
0 Comments