The Department of State Services (DSS) has amended the cybercrime allegation charge filed against Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.
At the resumed court session on Monday, Akinlolu Kehinde, counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), informed the court that the previously filed five-count charge has now been amended to two counts. He asked that the defendant be rearraigned on the amended charge.
Marshal Abubakar, counsel to Sowore, did not oppose the application.
Consequently, the charge was read to Sowore, and he pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
On September 23, DSS filed a five-count charge against Sowore. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, also listed X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) as co-defendants.
The charges stem from Sowore’s August 25 post on X, where he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” while reacting to the president’s remarks on corruption during a trip to Brazil.
Before filing, the DSS had written to X, demanding the suspension of Sowore’s account and asking him to retract his post and tender a public apology in national media within a week.
After Sowore refused to comply, the DSS proceeded with legal action, with September 30 set for his arraignment. Previous attempts to arraign the publisher were unsuccessful.
In the amended charge, X and Meta have been removed, leaving Sowore as the sole defendant
Mohammed Umar, presiding judge, has now adjourned the matter to January 22 for trial to commence.
