Sowore escapes arrest warrant, court adjourns arraignment 

Omoyele Sowore on Wednesday escaped a warrant of arrest being issued by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, following his failure to appear for arraignment.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged defamation alongside X Corporation (Twitter) and Meta (Facebook). He is accused of calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” on social media platforms.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), urged Justice Mohammed Umar to issue a bench warrant against Sowore for failing to appear despite being served with the charges and hearing notice.

Kehinde argued that Sowore’s absence showed “disrespect to the court” and urged the judge to direct security agencies to arrest him wherever he may be found.

He also dismissed a letter from human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju seeking an adjournment, saying it was an attempt to stall the case.

Counsel to Meta (Facebook), Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), backed the prosecution’s request, noting that Sowore had publicly accused the company of siding with the DSS.

However, Justice Umar held that the second defendant, X Corporation, had not been properly served with the charge sheet—only a hearing notice—which provided grounds to excuse Sowore’s absence.

The judge directed that all parties be duly served and adjourned the case to December 2, 2025, for arraignment.