JUST IN: DSS Files Cybercrime Charges Against Sowore, Two Others Over Posts on Tinubu

The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed cybercrime charges against activist Omoyele Sowore and two others over alleged false social media posts targeting President Bola Tinubu. The charges, lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (owners of Facebook) as co-defendants.

In a five-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/481/2025, Sowore was accused of using his verified X handle, @YeleSowore, on August 25 to publish a post describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” who “shamelessly lied” about corruption in Nigeria during a trip to Brazil. The DSS claimed the post was false and intended to incite unrest, in violation of Section 24(2)(b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024.

The following day, Sowore allegedly reposted the same statement on Facebook. Prosecutors said this act was designed to cause a breakdown of law and order, particularly among Nigerians opposed to the President. Additional charges accused Sowore of publishing defamatory material on both platforms, contravening Section 375 of the Criminal Code, and of spreading false information with intent to instigate public fear, an offence under Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act.

The charges were signed by Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), on behalf of the Federal Government. No date has yet been set for Sowore’s arraignment.

Two weeks earlier, the DSS had written to Sowore and the other defendants demanding that the posts be taken down or risk legal consequences. The agency has now moved to press forward with prosecution, marking a new chapter in the ongoing standoff between the activist and the Nigerian government.