Human rights activist and #FreeNnamdiKanuNow campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, has been re-arrested by the police shortly after his court appearance at the Kuje Magistrate Court on Friday.
Sowore and 11 others, including Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, were earlier granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000 each, with two sureties residing in the Federal Capital Territory who must present valid identification and three years of tax clearance.
Despite fulfilling his bail conditions, Sowore was reportedly taken away by police officers after the court session and moved to the Kuje Prison.
He is expected to be arraigned on Monday, October 27, on a new charge linked to his post on social media where he called President Bola Tinubu a “criminal.”
In August, Sowore criticised Tinubu’s trip to Brazil, writing on X, “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
Following the post, the Department of State Services (DSS) issued a one-week ultimatum asking him to retract what it described as a “false and inciting” statement. When he refused, the DSS filed a five-count charge against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The agency said the post could “incite public disturbance, disunity, and even insurrection.” The case also lists X Corp and Meta Inc. as co-defendants for failing to delete Sowore’s accounts.
The charges accuse Sowore of spreading false information likely to cause public disorder, an offence under Sections 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and Sections 375 and 59 of the Criminal Code Act.
Sowore has responded by filing two separate suits against the DSS, Meta, and X Corp, accusing them of violating his fundamental rights and attempting to silence free expression.
His lawyer, Tope Temokun, said, “If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe.”
He added that “censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy” and that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression without interference.
