The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed cybercrime charges against activist Omoyele Sowore and two others for allegedly publishing false information aimed at damaging President Bola Tinubu’s reputation and inciting public unrest.
The five-count charges, lodged on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) as co-defendants. According to court documents, Sowore allegedly used his official X handle, @YeleSowore, and his Facebook page to publish a statement claiming that President Tinubu had declared there was no corruption under his administration.
The DSS said the claim was “false, defamatory, and intended to cause public division and unrest.”
The charges were brought under the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024 and sections of the Criminal Code addressing defamation and the dissemination of false information. The Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, signed the documents.
Sowore’s first alleged violation came on August 25, 2025, when he posted the claim on X, contravening Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes Act. The next day, he shared the same post on Facebook, which prosecutors said amounted to a repeat offence under the same provision.
He is further accused of publishing content damaging to the president’s reputation, contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code, and of seeking to provoke public fear and unrest in violation of Section 59.
Two weeks before filing the charges, the DSS had issued a warning to Sowore and others, demanding the removal of the posts or face legal action.
Although the case has been filed, no arraignment date has been fixed. The DSS maintained that it would continue to pursue legal measures against “misinformation that threatens national stability.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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