Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general elections, on Wednesday allegedly evaded arraignment after failing to appear before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Sowore is facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged defamation, alongside Meta Corp (Facebook) and X Corp (formerly Twitter), over a post in which he purportedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
During proceedings, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, counsel to the DSS, urged Justice Mohammed Umar to issue a bench warrant against Sowore, arguing that his absence in court, despite being served with the charges and a hearing notice, amounted to “an affront to the sanctity of the court.
Kehinde described Sowore’s conduct as “disturbing and unacceptable,” stressing that “no lawyer appeared for him as required by law.” He further urged the court to “invoke its inherent power to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant by security agents wherever he may be.”
The DSS counsel also informed the court of a letter submitted by lawyer Deji Adeyanju, seeking an adjournment on Sowore’s behalf, insisting the activist was “taking the court for granted.”
Counsel to Meta (Facebook) Inc, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, supported the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant, alleging that Sowore had accused the company of “taking sides with the prosecution.” Oyetibo added that the letter requesting an adjournment was merely “a form of distraction”.
However, Justice Umar noted that the argument by X Corp, that it had not yet been served the charge sheet even though it received a hearing notice, was sufficient reason to excuse Sowore’s absence.
Counsel to X Corp, Christabel Ndiokwelo, confirmed that “the complainant had yet to serve the formal charges on their client,” adding that only a hearing notice had been received.
After hearing submissions, Justice Umar directed that all parties be properly served and adjourned the matter to December 2, 2025, for Sowore’s arraignment to proceed.