Nigerian activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised singer Adekunle Gold over the legal troubles of a young man, Adeboye Samuel.
Adeboye was reportedly taken to court after making claims on social media about the singer’s daughter.
Reacting to the development, Sowore recalled a controversial post made by Adekunle Gold years ago about former President Goodluck Jonathan. According to him, the post circulated widely at the time without any legal consequences, as it was considered an exercise of free speech.
The post, shared during the 2012 protests against the removal of fuel subsidy, read: “Dear God, if you give us Dagrin back, we will give you Jonathan in return.”
In a post on X, Sowore said:
“Adekunle Gold openly criticised then-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012. Back then, it was rightly seen as free speech, and if he had been arrested, Nigerians would have protested for his release.
How then does someone who benefited from freedom of expression turn around years later to use the police, courts, and cybercrime laws against ordinary Nigerians over social media exchanges?”
Sowore argued that freedom of expression must apply equally to everyone, regardless of status, stressing that it should not be criminalised when used by ordinary citizens.
He also called on the Nigeria Police Force to avoid being used as a tool by influential individuals and urged the judiciary to refrain from imposing harsh penalties on matters that should fall under free speech.