Category: Daily Trust

A Federal High Court in Abuja has shifted the arraignment of activist Omoyele Sowore and two others on cybercrime charges to October 27.

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar on Tuesday adjourned the matter after it was learnt that the federal government did not serve the charge sheet on Sowore as stipulated by law.

When the matter was called, Sowore through his lead counsel, Abubakar Marshall Esq protested that he had not seen a copy of the charge or be served as required by law.

Similarly, he said that the second defendant, X, had also not been served and since the trial is on joint charge, the arraignment cannot hold. The third defendant, Meta, was represented by Professor Tayo Oyetibo (SAN).

Replying, the lead counsel to the federal government and the Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, denied the allegations of non-service of the charge and insisted that Sowore had been served.

Following the submission, the trial judge consulted the file and confirmed that the defendants have not been served.

The DPPF subsequently applied for an order to serve them in the open court which was granted.

Sowore personally accepted the service in the open court and requested for three days to study the charges as required by law.

The federal government had filed five-count charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR)481/2025 accusing Sowore of using his official X handle page @YeleSowore to tweet: ‘This criminal @OfficialPBAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!’

The alleged offending post said to be contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024 was said to have been made on August 25 within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court.

In count two, Sowore was said to have on August 26 used his official page Facebook to send the same false message out for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country especially among those who hold divergent views on the person of President Tinubu.

The alleged offence is said to be contrary to Section 24(2) (b) of the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2024; sections 59 and 375 of the Criminal Code Act.

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), has cautioned American comedian and commentator, Bill Maher, against orchestrating campaign of disinformation to paint Nigeria as a country indulged in Christian genocide.

Maher, also a talk show host, had claimed that over 100,000 Christians had been systematically killed in Nigeria and 18,000 Churches burnt, describing it as an attempt by Islamists to wipe out the Christian population.

Speaking on the September 26, 2025 edition of HBO talk show, ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’, Maher had said: ‘Nigeria, the fact that this issue has not gotten on people’s radar, it’s pretty amazing. If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck. You are in a bubble.

However, reacting to the issue, the former Minister dismissed the claims as false and a campaign to divide Nigeria across religious lines.

He said, ‘A couple of days ago, Bill Maher, one of the top commentators and political pundits in the United States of America, with very massive following, a very powerful man with a powerful voice in America, together with Radio Genoa, which is also a very powerful medium, one of the most powerful in the United States, came up with some interesting observations, which of course are false. They said that 500,000 Christians were murdered in Nigeria by terrorists in the last one year. This is completely untrue, as you know, and it is what you call disinformation.

‘And it’s interesting that Bill Maher would do this just a few days after our Vice President went to the United Nations and made a historic and courageous speech, very inspiring speech, in which he condemned the things that were going on in Gaza, the murder, the genocide in Gaza, and in which he called for a two-state solution to the situation between the Palestinians and the Israelis as being the only way forward. That’s the stated position of our country. We are a sovereign country, and the speech was brilliant.

‘Evidently, this upset a few people in the American media and in the United States of America, and Bill Maher and those behind him now decided to organize an orchestrated campaign of disinformation to paint our country as a bunch of Christian haters and people that indulge in Christian genocide. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Their objective is to divide us, defame us, destroy us, cause us to turn against one another, and demonize us before the whole world as a precursor to now attempting to destabilize us, delegitimize us, decertify us, and call us a nation of interest in which they will now inflict and impose sanctions in order to bring us to our knees. Well, it’s not going to work.’

FFK added that while it is true that terrorists are unleashing deadly attacks in Nigeria, it is untrue to suggest that only Christians are being killed, noting that the criminals are not representatives of the Islamic faith.

‘Let me make this abundantly clear. We do have terrorists in this country, and people are being killed in this country, but it is not only Christians that are being killed. Christians and Muslims are being killed. They are being slaughtered by terrorists who are not even representative of the Islamic faith. They are nothing but criminals and terrorists, and our armed forces and security agencies are killing them in equal measure and fighting back.’

‘We are doing our very best, and I might add, without any help from the Americans or the French or the Brits or anybody else, we are doing it on our own. We’re doing a good job. We’re doing it as best as we can. The idea that only Christians are being slaughtered in our country is a complete falsehood. It’s not true.

‘It is a lie from the pit of hell, and no one will divide us on religious lines. We are fighting the terrorists as one, both Christians and Muslims.’

The Minister further stressed that Nigeria is a powerful nation capable of fighting its challenges without necessarily the help of the Americans, accusing Bill Maher of having an underlying motive behind his claims.

The federal government said Nigeria remains ‘a work in progress’ 65 years after the country’s independence.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who stated this on Monday at a press conference to mark the 65th Independence Day Anniversary in Abuja, urged citizens to rally behind ongoing reforms and contribute to building a greater nation.

Akume said independence should not only be seen as a date on the calendar but as a reminder of the sacrifices of Nigeria’s founding fathers and the collective responsibility of citizens.

‘At 65, Nigeria is still a work in progress. But with renewed hope, shared responsibility, and collective resolve, our best days lie ahead,’ he said. He noted that President Bola Tinubu had introduced bold reforms to stabilise the economy, restore investor confidence and create opportunities. He explained that while the policies were difficult, they were laying the foundation for long-term growth.

‘The gains, though modest, are a testimony that the Renewed Hope Agenda is on course, and with perseverance, greater dividends will be realized,’ he added.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the administration was dismantling ‘stubborn clogs in the wheel of national progress.’

He explained that inflation was declining, the naira was strengthening, and food prices were beginning to ease. He added that the trade surplus was growing with more contributions from the non-oil sector.

‘Our collective participation in nation-building is critical to the sustenance of the progress being made,’ he said.

The minister noted that more than 500,000 students were already benefitting from the National Education Loan Fund, describing it as unprecedented.

He said reforms in energy, transport, agriculture and health were evidence that ‘no region is taking a back seat’ in the distribution of projects.

FG cancels Independence Day parade

Meanwhile, the federal government has announced the cancellation of the Independence Anniversary parade that had been scheduled to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

Segun Imohiosen, Director, Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, announced this in a statement on Monday.

Imohiosen did not give a reason for the decision to cancel the parade but said it will not diminish the significance of the anniversary.

The statement urged Nigerians, the diplomatic community and invited guests to support the reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.