The Federal Government has amended the criminal charges against human rights activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, formally dropping Meta (Facebook) and Twitter (now X) as co-defendants in the ongoing cybercrime case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the initial charge, Sowore was listed as the first defendant, with X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp as the second and third defendants.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the Federal Government, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution had amended the charge filed on December 5, 2025.
He subsequently withdrew the earlier charge and applied for the names of the second and third defendants to be struck out.
Counsel to Sowore, Marshal Abubakar, said the defence had no objection to the amended charge. Consequently, the trial judge struck out the second and third defendants from the case.
Following the development, the amended two-count charge was read to Sowore.
On count one, which relates to an alleged post on his X handle @YeleSowore referring to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal,” Sowore initially sought clarification on the identity of the handle @officialABAT mentioned in the charge. After consultation with his lawyer, he said he understood the charge and pleaded not guilty.
He also pleaded not guilty to count two, which relates to a similar post allegedly made on his Facebook page.
The prosecution thereafter indicated readiness to proceed, stating that its first witness was in court.
However, the defence objected, arguing that the prosecution failed to frontload the list of witnesses and their statements as required by law.
Abubakar contended that the absence of witness statements violated the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), insisting that the defence could not proceed without being furnished with the necessary materials.
Responding, Kehinde argued that the defence’s reliance on constitutional provisions was not mandatory in the circumstances and maintained that the relevant provisions cited applied mainly to proceedings before magistrates’ courts.
He urged the court to allow the prosecution to call its witness.
After listening to arguments from both sides, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, directed the prosecution to furnish the defence with the required materials, including the list of witnesses and their statements.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to Thursday, January 22, for a definite hearing.
Sowore is being tried under Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 on allegations of cyberstalking, contrary to Section 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, in relation to social media posts made in August 2025.
