Abuja Court Drops Meta and X Corporation From Sowore’s Cyberstalking Case
An Abuja Federal High Court on Monday removed Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corporation (formerly Twitter) from the cyberstalking case filed by the Federal Government against activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore. The development followed the prosecution’s decision to amend the charge, leaving Sowore as the only defendant. Sowore was originally arraigned on December 2, 2025, alongside the two tech companies, over a cybercrime case (FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025). The government had alleged that Sowore, through posts on his verified social media accounts, published false statements against President Bola Tinubu, calling him a “criminal.” At Monday’s hearing before Justice Umar, lead prosecution counsel Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, informed the court that an amended charge filed on December 5, 2025, was ready to be read. With no objections from the defence, the prosecution withdrew the earlier charge and requested that the names of Meta and X Corporation be struck out. Justice Umar granted the application. The amended charge now alleges that on or around August 25, 2025, Sowore, through his verified X handle, @YeleSowore, knowingly or intentionally posted a message deemed false and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order. The post stated: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!” The prosecution maintains that the post amounted to cyberstalking, contrary to Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024. Sowore pleaded not guilty when the amended charge was read. The prosecution applied to proceed to trial and present its first witness, a move opposed by defence counsel Marshal Abubakar, who argued that the amended charge was defective for not disclosing the identity of any witness or attaching witness statements. Abubakar cited Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, saying this violated Sowore’s right to a fair hearing, as the defence could not adequately prepare without knowing the witnesses or evidence. “The witness sought to be called is unknown to the defence and, indeed, unknown to the court,” he said. Kehinde countered, arguing that the Constitution does not require the prosecution to disclose witness identities in advance. He also noted that the defence could request an adjournment to cross-examine, and that only one witness would be called, who was already present in court. Justice Umar subsequently directed the prosecution to provide the defence with the witness statement and adjourned the case to Thursday, January 22, 2026, for definite hearing.