THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, after he failed to appear for the continuation of his trial over an alleged cybercrime offence.
News Point Nigeria reports that Sowore is facing a two-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over social media posts in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The activist was expected to open his defence when the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday. However, despite previously opting to represent himself following the withdrawal of his legal team from the case, he was absent from court.
Although Sowore sent a letter to the court explaining that he had travelled to Lagos in search of lawyers to take over his defence, the explanation did not prevent further action in the case.
Following an application by the DSS, Justice Mohammed Umar revoked the bail earlier granted to the defendant and subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest.
Before Tuesday’s proceedings, Sowore had filed an application asking Justice Umar to recuse himself from the case and return the file to the Chief Judge for reassignment to another judge.
In the application, which he anchored on Sections 36(1), (5) and (6) of the 1999 Constitution, Sowore alleged judicial bias and cited an incident in which one of his lawyers was reportedly ordered to kneel before the court.
He argued that the court’s decision to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis, coupled with what he described as the judge’s high-handedness, had discouraged his lawyers from continuing with the case.
“My lawyers indicated to me that they are afraid to appear before you and will no longer appear because of the humiliation they suffered before this court.
“Pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship,” Sowore had stated.
The AAC presidential candidate was arraigned on December 2, 2025, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, where he pleaded not guilty to all allegations.
According to court documents, the charges were brought under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The case stems from posts Sowore made on August 25, 2025, in reaction to President Tinubu’s statement in Brazil that his administration had effectively ended corruption in Nigeria.
The DSS alleged that the posts were false, defamatory and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order. The security agency subsequently wrote to X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms, demanding the removal of the posts and requesting that Sowore’s accounts be restricted.
The agency also directed Sowore to delete the posts across all platforms. Prosecutors said his refusal to comply with the directive led to the criminal charges.
According to the DSS, the publications were intended to tarnish the reputation of the President and create public disorder. The prosecution is relying on printouts of the social media posts and official correspondence issued by the DSS as exhibits before the court.
While X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. were initially listed as co-defendants in the matter, they were later removed from the amended charge.
One of the counts alleges that Sowore knowingly used his verified X account, @YeleSowore, to publish a message referring to President Tinubu as “a criminal” and accusing him of falsely claiming that corruption had ended in Nigeria, an act the prosecution argues constitutes cyberstalking under the Cybercrimes Act.
A similar allegation was also made in relation to a post published on his Facebook account, with prosecutors maintaining that both publications were knowingly made, false in content and capable of threatening public order.
With the revocation of his bail and the issuance of a warrant for his arrest, the case has entered a new phase as the court moves to compel Sowore’s appearance to answer the charges against him.