Federal High Court in Abuja has declined a request by Department of State Services (DSS) to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Omoyele Sowore, publisher and human rights activist.
Gatekeepers News reports that DSS had earlier filed a five-count charge against Sowore on September 23, accusing him of offensive comments made on social media.
The suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, also names X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook) as co-defendants.
The charges are linked to Sowore’s August 25 post on X, in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a criminal while reacting to the president’s comments on corruption during an official visit to Brazil.
Before the charges were filed, DSS reportedly wrote to X, demanding the suspension of Sowore’s account and insisting he retract his statement and issue a public apology across national media within seven days. Sowore’s refusal led the agency to initiate legal action, with his arraignment initially scheduled for September 30.
However, proceedings could not go on as planned because, according to Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, his client had not been formally served with the charge. The case was then moved to October 27, but the court did not sit, leading to another adjournment to November 5.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Sowore was absent in court. This prompted Akinlolu Kehinde, counsel for the DSS, to request a bench warrant for his arrest.
Kehinde referenced a letter purportedly sent by Deji Adeyanju, who introduced himself as Sowore’s lead counsel, explaining that the new date was fixed off record and without proper consultation.” Kehinde, however, dismissed the letter as “a ploy to delay the proceedings, noting that all filings in the case were made by Femi Falana, Sowore’s actual lead counsel. He urged the court to disregard the letter and proceed with issuing an arrest order.
Tayo Oyetibo, representing Meta, said he had no objection to a bench warrant, describing Adeyanju’s letter as disrespectful to both the court and the parties involved.
Oyetibo revealed he had travelled from Lagos for the hearing, only to receive the letter upon arrival in Abuja, adding that it referenced “4 November rather than 5 November,” suggesting it might pertain to another case. He further informed the court that Sowore had accused him online of “siding with the federal government against him.”
Christabel Ndokwelu, counsel for X Corp, argued that her client had not been properly served with the court’s processes and had only received a hearing notice.
In his ruling, Justice Umar Muhammad stated that there was “no need to rush” the proceedings and refused to grant the DSS’s application for a bench warrant.
The judge adjourned the case to December 2, directing the prosecution to properly serve X Corp with the relevant documents and ensure that Sowore receives a hearing notice for the next sitting.
