The Federal Government, on Tuesday, sued a politician, Omoyele Sowore, for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu.
The FG, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 also joined Mata (Facebook) Incorp. and X Incorp. as defendants at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The criminal charge dated Sept. 16, was filed by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the five-count charge, Sowore, the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, was alleged to have made a false claim against the person of the President by referring to him as “a criminal.”
The charge was filed few days after an earlier request by the Department of State Services (DSS) for the pulling down of the post on Facebook and X, the former Twitter, allegedly used by Sowore for the defamatory message.
Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019 and 2023, in the charge is accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count one of the charge alleged that Sowore, on or about Aug. 25, did use his official X handle page, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/tweet.
The message is said to be, “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 message, which he knew to be false, was posted “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).”
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, among other counts.(NAN