The Department of State Services (DSS) has officially filed criminal charges against activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The case stems from Sowore’s posts on August 25 and 26, 2025, in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal” and accused him of dishonesty regarding corruption allegations during an official visit to Brazil.
The DSS has filed five counts, not only against Sowore but also implicating social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) for hosting the allegedly “false and malicious” content.
The charges specifically reference a post where Sowore called Tinubu “@officialABAT… this criminal.”
On September 7, 2025, the DSS issued a formal letter to Sowore, demanding a public retraction and apology within 72 hours. Sowore declined, citing the agency’s record of human rights violations and insisting that he had exercised his constitutional right to free speech.
This refusal triggered the legal action.
The case has been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The full chargesheet has not yet been made public, and no arrest warrant has been reported.
Sowore’s legal team is expected to issue a formal response, and proceedings could commence within days a development likely to attract both local and international attention given Sowore’s profile.
