Abuja: The Federal Government has initiated a legal action against politician Omoyele Sowore for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu. The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also names Mata (Facebook) Incorp. and X Incorp. as defendants.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was filed by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice. The five-count charge accuses Sowore, who is the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, of making false claims against President Tinubu by referring to him as ‘a criminal.’ This legal action follows a request by the Department of State Services (DSS) to remove the allegedly defamatory post from Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sowore, who was the presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 elections, is accused of violating the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024. The charges include an incident on or about August 25, where Sowore allegedly used his official X handle, @Yele Sowore, to post a message deemed false and intended to disrupt public order.
The controversial message read, ‘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!’ It is alleged that this statement was aimed at inciting disorder among individuals with differing opinions on President Tinubu’s leadership. The charge is said to contravene Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.