The arraignment of Sahara Reporters publisher and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a defamation case filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) has been postponed after the court found that the charges were not properly served.
The DSS had filed a five-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Sowore, alongside social media giant X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc., in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025.
The matter stems from an August 25 post in which Sowore described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” while reacting to the president’s remarks on corruption during a state visit to Brazil.
The DSS, in earlier correspondence, had demanded the suspension of Sowore’s X account and ordered him to retract his comments. The security agency further directed him to publish apologies in national newspapers and television stations — instructions Sowore ignored, prompting the criminal charge.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, argued that his client could not be arraigned as he had not been personally served with the charges. He stressed that in joint criminal proceedings, all parties must either appear or be represented before the court can assume jurisdiction.
The prosecution, led by M.B. Abubakar, insisted that all defendants had been served, but Justice Umar Muhammad, after reviewing the court’s records, ruled otherwise. While X and Meta had been served electronically, Sowore had yet to receive personal service.
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Following an oral application, the court ordered Sowore to be served in open court. However, his counsel objected to an immediate arraignment, noting that the law requires at least three days for a defendant to study the charges. The judge agreed, adjourning the matter to October 27.
Meta’s counsel, Mofeso Oyetibo, also raised concern that the charge sheet contained no specific count against his client, questioning their inclusion in the case.
The trial, which has drawn significant attention, is expected to test the boundaries between freedom of expression, defamation, and state security in Nigeria’s democratic space.