Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Friday May 8, 2026 to rule on the no-case submission made by an activist, Omoyele Sowore, in the charge brought against him by the Department of the State Service, DSS, for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Tinubu.
DSS put Sowore on trial for allegedly calling Tinubu a “criminal” via his X handle.
The court fixed the date on Monday after Sowore and DSS adopted their final written arguments for and against the no case submission filed on April 21, 2026 by Sowore.
While adopting the processes filed along with the no case submission, Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar told the court that the prosecution failed to link his client with the alleged offences.
He applied that the court should dismiss the charge against Sowore, and discharge and acquit him from the two-count cyberbullying charge on the ground that prima facie case was not made against him.
The counsel argued that upon the review of the evidence led by the prosecution so far, the complainant failed to link his client with the charges filed against him for allegedly calling the President a “criminal”.
According to Marshall Abubakar, the prosecution failed to call vital witnesses which he said was fatal to the case of the prosecution.
He prayed the court to grant the no-case submission on the ground that Sowore was not linked to the two-count charge preferred against him.
While opposing the no-case submission, the DSS through its Counsel, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, said the prosecution filed a response on April 23 in urging the court to refuse the request of Sowore in the no-case application.
The senior lawyer urged the court to order Sowore to enter his defense on the grounds that DSS through its witnesses had established a prima facie case against the defendant.
After the adoption of the processes filed in the matter, the trial judge fixed May 8 for ruling on the no-case submission.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore on behalf of the Federal Government in an amended the cyberbullying charges brought against the defendant
In the amended charge filed on December 5, 2025 Sowore, a presidential candidate of the Action Alliance Congress, AAC, was re-arraigned by DSS on two-count charge.
The new charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 and signed by Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, on behalf of the Federal Government.
Count one of the charge read:
“That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male, on or about the 25th day of August 2025 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly or intentionally send a message by means of a computer system or network, to wit: your official “X” (formerly Twitter} handle page, @YeleSowore wherein you posted the following message/tweet: ‘This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity fo lie shamelessly, which message you knew fo be fake and posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. posing a threat fo life, or causing such message to be sent and thereby committed the offence of Cyberstalking contrary to Section 24(1) (b) and 24(2) (a). (6), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Amendment) Act, 2024 and punishable under the same section.
Count two:
“That you Omoyele Sowore, Adult. Male, on or about the 25th day of August, 2025. within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly or intentionally send a message by means of a computer system or network, fo wit: your Official Facebook handle page. @YeleSowore, wherein you posted the following message/post: “This criminal @officlalABAT actually went fo Brazil fo state that there Is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly” which message you knew fo be false and posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in Nigeria, posing a threat fo life or causing such message to be sent and thereby committed the offence of Cyberstalking contrary fo Section 241(b) and 24(2) (a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, (Amendment) Act 2024 and punishable under the some section.
Sowore had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
