DSS files fresh charges against Sowore over posts targeting Tinubu
By Kunle Sanni –
The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed fresh criminal charges against human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, over a series of social media posts in which he allegedly defamed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the charge sheet filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, Sowore is accused of publishing false and malicious statements on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook in August — comments the government claims were intended to incite public disturbance and damage the President’s reputation.
One of the posts cited in the charge reportedly reads:
“This criminal @officialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The DSS is pressing five counts against the activist. The case is being prosecuted by a team led by M. B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alongside DSS counsel E. G. Orubor and other government lawyers.
The DSS alleges that Sowore’s actions contravene Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, Section 375 and Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act.
In one of the posts, Sowore allegedly described Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of lying about the state of corruption in Nigeria during a recent visit to Brazil.
The DSS also reportedly wrote to Meta Platforms Inc., demanding the immediate removal of the Facebook post, which criticised President Tinubu. The agency claimed the post amounted to hate speech, misinformation, and an attempt to discredit the President, warning that it had already generated “online and offline tension across the country.”
The DSS cited provisions of the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2024 (not 2025 as previously stated), and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, insisting that Sowore’s comments constitute a criminal offence under Nigerian law.
