By Charles Maduka
The Federal Government has dropped Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corporation from the cybercrime charges filed against activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, leaving him as the only defendant in the case.
The decision was taken at the Federal High Court in Abuja after the prosecution amended the charge. Sowore had earlier been arraigned alongside Meta and X over allegations linked to posts made on his verified social media accounts.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Umar, lead prosecution counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, informed the court that an amended charge had been filed and was ready to be read.
He subsequently applied for the withdrawal of the earlier charge and requested that the names of Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corporation be struck out, an application the court granted.
The amended charge alleges that Sowore knowingly sent a message through his verified X handle that was described by the prosecution as false and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.
The post in question accused President Bola Tinubu of falsely claiming there was no more corruption under his administration.When the charge was read, Sowore pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution then applied to proceed with trial and present its first witness, but the move was opposed by Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar, who argued that the defence had not been served with witness statements, thereby violating the defendant’s right to fair hearing.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Umar directed the prosecution to provide the defence with the witness statement and adjourned the case for a definite hearing date, allowing the trial to proceed properly.
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