The Department of State Services (DSS) has charged human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore with five criminal counts for allegedly making false statements about President Bola Tinubu that could potentially incite chaos, according to court documents.

Sowore was seen at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday. The case, dated September 16, 2025, stems from Sowore's refusal to remove posts that authorities describe as problematic about the president.

One such post, published via his official X account, accused President Tinubu of travelling to Brazil and falsely claiming there was no corruption under his administration.

The post states: “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!”

This statement allegedly violates Section 24(2) (b) of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act, and was posted on August 25 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. The charges are being pressed by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Federal Government, represented by M.B. Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice, along with four other DSS prosecutors—M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.

Confirming the legal action in a Facebook post last week, Sowore wrote, “The State Security Service, alias @OfficialDSSNG today filed a 5-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against ‘X’ (formerly Twitter Facebook, and myself. They claimed that because I called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal, I have somehow committed a set of ‘novel’ offences they invented and spread across five counts.

“It’s hard to believe there’s anyone sensible left in these offices that should be making Nigeria work. Regardless, I will be present whenever this case is assigned for trial. #RevolutionNow.”

ASA