Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate and activist, on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to the 17-count cybercrime charges leveled against him by the Nigerian Police Force.
Sowore, who was arrested by the police on Monday, had been detained at the Intelligence Response Team facility in Abuja after he declined the administrative bail conditions offered by the authorities.
He was summoned to the Force Intelligence Headquarters over accusations of obstructing public officers, cyberstalking, disobedience to lawful orders, and preventing arrests.
During his arraignment before Justice Musa Liman, Sowore denied all the charges, which stemmed from his social media activity.
The charges were filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, following Sowore’s posts on his verified X account, where he allegedly referred to Egbetokun as an “illegal IGP.”
The first charge stated, “On December 13, 2024, you, Omoyele Sowore, intentionally sent a message via your verified X account, causing a publication against IGP Kayode Egbetokun, calling him ‘illegal IGP.’ You knew the statement was false, and it was intended to incite disorder, violating Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 (as amended 2024).”
The second charge claimed that Sowore used the same platform to send a message calling Egbetokun “illegal IGP” and tagging the official Nigeria Police Force X handle, @policeNG.
This publication allegedly contained threats aimed at inciting Nigerians and damaging the reputation of the police force and its leadership.
A third charge referred to Sowore’s post on December 20, 2024, where he accused Egbetokun of pushing Nigeria toward another #ENDSARS protest, a statement that was also said to be false and capable of causing public unrest.
After pleading not guilty to all counts, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, requested bail for his client.
Justice Liman adjourned the case until 3:00 p.m. for a ruling on the bail application.
