A coalition of Civil Society Organizations are seeking the prosecution of Omoyele Sowore for what they called “a pattern of reckless rascality disguised as activism” by the publisher turned politician.
The protesters, who Wednesday marched through the Shehu Shagari Way in Abuja carried banners with inscriptions like “Sowore has enriched himself on the ground of activism while manipulating public consciousness” and “Nigerians say ‘No! ‘ to the blackmailer-in-chief”.
They asked the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute him even as they expressed concern on the incendiary posture of Sowore’s online news outlet, Sahara Reporters, which they alleged has become a threat to the peaceful existence of Nigerians.
Among the protesters were Jonathan Elaigwu of Citizens United for Development Initiative, Bilal Muhammed of Guardians of Democracy and Development, Comrade Okpanachi Jacob of Citizens Rights Advancement Initiative, and Sani Madaki of
Northern Youth Congress of Nigeria.
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Others were Abdulquadri Shuaibu of Nigerian Youth Advocacy for Good Governance, and Suleiman Musa of Civil Society Groups for Accountability and Probity.
“We are here today to address a pattern of reckless rascality disguised as activism—one that has become a dangerous virus in our national life, championed by none other than Omoyele Sowore,” said convener of the protest, Stephen Eeiba.
“What began as a promising voice of dissent has now descended into a toxic cocktail of arrogance, misinformation, and deliberate blackmail. Sowore has transformed Sahara Reporters into a tool for personal vengeance—publishing unverified, malicious stories designed not to enlighten, but to destroy,” noted Eiiba, stressing, “it has become a theatre of ego and vendetta rather than of truth.”
He continued: “Let it be made clear: activism is not lawlessness. It is not the abuse of digital freedom, nor a free pass to lie without consequences. But this is the line Sowore has consistently crossed. He has substituted sincerity with sensationalism.
“His criticisms are not borne out of patriotism but of personal bitterness and a bloated sense of self-righteousness. He sees nothing good in Nigeria, not because there’s nothing good, but because he has trained himself to see only through the lens of conflict.”
Sowore, he continued, “has made a career of malicious blackmail, targeting individuals and institutions with reckless abandon. For example, he falsely and viciously targeted Senator Bukola Saraki, launching a barrage of scandalous accusations with no solid proof—just bile and bravado.
“He even stooped low to attack Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a woman whose global integrity in governance and finance stands as one of Nigeria’s brightest lights. And for what? To feed a narrative that suits his chaos-driven relevance. He did not spare his longtime friend – Lekan Fatodu – a UK based journalist whom he blackmailed”, noted the CSOs.
The convener alleged that Sowore “blackmailed Peter Obi and several other political figures to the extent the title of BLACKMAILER-IN-CHIEF was coined for him. Government after government have not been spared his caustic blackmail antics. Even the international media have seen through his hubris and properly now refer to him as a global blackmailer.”
The protesters called for the “immediate investigation and prosecution of Omoyele Sowore for cyber libel, wilful misinformation, incitement, and calculated character assassination,” stressing, “Enough is enough” They held that “freedom of speech should not be allowed to transmute into a weapon of social sabotage.”
Crediblenewsng.com
