The legal team representing human rights activist and Omoyele Sowore, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to throw out the criminal charge filed against him and SaharaReporters by the Nigeria Police Force. They argue that the case is rooted in a legal provision that has since been repealed.

In a statement released on Thursday and signed by Sowore’s lawyer, Tope Temokun, the team explained that the case — COP FCT Command v. Omoyele Sowore — originally filed in 2022, was mentioned again in court as part of their ongoing efforts to challenge the legality of the charge.

Temokun noted that the police accuse Sowore of “insulting” and “annoying” Delta politician Prince Ned Nwoko, allegations tied to Sowore’s involvement in the 2022 detention of popular influencer Jaruma, allegedly at Nwoko’s instigation.

According to Temokun, the charge is anchored on Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act — a section that was amended in 2024, when lawmakers removed the offences of “insult” and “annoyance” from Nigerian law.

He argued that continuing with the case despite the repeal amounts to an abuse of judicial process.

“For more than two years, a charge has hovered against Omoyele Sowore — an allegation that he ‘insulted’ and ‘annoyed’ a private citizen, Prince Ned Nwoko — after he intervened on behalf of a fellow citizen, Jaruma, who was then detained at the whims of the billionaire senator,” the statement said.

Temokun added that parliament had deliberately eliminated the offence from the Cybercrime Act to end an era where opinions were criminalised and criticism was treated as a threat.

He insisted that the charge can no longer be sustained: “A charge built on a repealed law has no life left in it. And a trial that has not begun cannot survive a repeal.”

The legal team described Sowore as “a symbol of every Nigerian who speaks truth to power,” warning that the state must not reverse the progress made by removing such offences from the law.

The court adjourned the case to February 24, 2026.

Sowore, a human rights advocate and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has faced numerous arrests and prosecutions in recent years, many linked to his activism and criticism of government authorities.

Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act had long been criticised by civil society organisations for being used to stifle free expression, with many journalists and activists arrested under its vague provisions. The 2024 amendment followed years of sustained advocacy from rights groups, who argued that the law was inconsistent with democratic standards on free speech.

Concluding the statement, the legal team urged the judiciary to act boldly: “We call for courage from the bench, and vigilance from the people. If we do not give up, we shall win — and certainly, Nigeria shall be free!”