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The Federal High Court successful Abuja has adjourned the arraignment of Omoyele Sowore, the steadfast of Sahara Reporters, until October 27.
Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the substance connected Tuesday to spend Sowore capable installation to hole for his defence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sowore, the statesmanlike campaigner of the African Action Congress (AAC) successful 2019 and 2023, is facing a five-count charge.
The Department of State Services (DSS), connected the Federal Government’s behalf, had sued Sowore, X Incorp. (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Inc. arsenic the 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.
The charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, was dated Sept. 16.
Sowore was alleged to person made a mendacious assertion against the idiosyncratic of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him arsenic “a criminal” connected his X and Facebook accounts.
When the substance was called connected Tuesday, Sowore was contiguous successful court, arsenic was counsel for Meta.
However, determination was nary practice for X.
The DSS counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, applied that the complaint beryllium work to the defendants truthful they could instrumentality their plea.
But Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, opposed the application.
The lawyer stated that the tribunal bailiff had yet to service the complaint connected his client.
Besides, helium argued that successful a transgression proceedings wherever 3 defendants are listed, the quality of the 2nd suspect (X) is sacrosanct.
He said ‘X’ indispensable beryllium represented successful tribunal to guarantee that each the defendants had been decently served.
From the tribunal record, the justice confirmed that ‘X’ and Meta had been served electronically via their email addresses.
The DSS lawyer past applied that the complaint beryllium served connected Sowore successful the open, and Justice Umar granted the petition aft it was not opposed by Abubakar and Mofesomo Tayo-Oyetibo, SAN, who appeared for Meta.
Abubakar, however, sought an adjournment to spend the 1st suspect capable clip and accidental to support himself successful enactment with Section 282(6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Justice Umar adjourned the substance until Oct. 27 for arraignment.
NAN reports that the complaint was filed a fewer days aft an earlier petition by the DSS for the alleged defamatory connection posted by Sowore connected his Facebook and X handles to beryllium taken down.
In the charge, Sowore is accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count 1 of the complaint alleged that Sowore, connected oregon astir Aug. 25, did usage his authoritative X grip page, @Yele Sowore, to nonstop retired a message/tweet.
The connection is said to be, “THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT TO BRAZIL TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY!,”
The message, which helium knew to beryllium false, was posted “for the intent of causing a breakdown of instrumentality and bid successful the country, particularly among individuals, who clasp divergent views connected the property of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR).”
The offence is said to beryllium contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, among different counts.
The station False claims against Tinubu: Court adjourns Sowore’s arraignment appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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