Omoyele Sowore Pleads Not Guilty to DSS Cybercrime Allegations

Omoyele Sowore Pleads Not Guilty to DSS Cybercrime Allegations

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned SaharaReporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged violations of the Cybercrimes Act arising from social media posts in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”

The DSS had in August summoned Sowore over the posts and requested that he delete them, a directive he refused, prompting the agency to initiate legal proceedings.

At Tuesday’s sitting, Justice Mohammed Umar granted Sowore bail on self-recognizance, warning him against making comments deemed “detrimental to the peace and security of the country.” The judge stated that the bail would be revoked if such statements were repeated.

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The arraignment followed two earlier unsuccessful attempts, which the prosecution—represented by Akinolu Kehinde (SAN)—said were stalled by objections from Sowore’s legal team.

Delivering ruling on the bail application moved by Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, Justice Umar held that Sowore had previously contested the presidency and already had his international passport in court custody, qualifying him for bail on self-recognition.

Sowore pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge, which accuses him of contravening the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Criminal Code Act by allegedly defaming President Bola Tinubu through posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

Also listed as co-defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 are X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.

Omoyele Sowore Pleads Not Guilty to DSS Cybercrime Allegations