Proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja took a contentious turn on Tuesday as the trial of activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore exposed sharp questions about the Department of State Services’ (DSS) handling of criticism directed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The courtroom atmosphere grew tense during cross-examination when Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, introduced video clips of former presidential aide Reno Omokri making strong allegations against Tinubu on national television—comments that, according to the defence, did not result in any legal action.
The videos, submitted via a flash drive and admitted into evidence, were played in open court in the presence of Cyril Nosike, a DSS operative and the prosecution’s first witness. One clip, from a 2023 ARISE News interview, showed Omokri claiming he had court documents from the United States allegedly linking President Tinubu to drug-related offences.
“Bola Tinubu is a known drug lord. I have documents to prove it,” Omokri said during the broadcast.
Another clip featured Omokri stating he would never politically align with Tinubu.
Abubakar questioned what he described as inconsistency in the DSS’s actions, asking why Omokri was later cleared for an ambassadorial appointment despite the televised remarks, while Sowore is being prosecuted for describing the President as a “criminal” in a social media post. Nosike told the court he could not account for the agency’s decision.
Efforts by the prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), to prevent the videos from being admitted were rejected, with Justice Mohammed Umar ruling in favour of their relevance.
Sowore is standing trial on a two-count amended charge under the Cybercrimes Act, arising from an August 25, 2025 post he made after President Tinubu stated during a visit to Brazil that corruption had been eliminated under his administration.
Testimony before the court revealed that the DSS wrote to X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc., demanding the removal of the post and the suspension of Sowore’s accounts. The agency also directed Sowore to take down the content himself.
When those requests were ignored, the DSS proceeded with prosecution, alleging that the post was capable of disrupting public order and damaging the President’s reputation.
Further questioning revealed that the DSS did not obtain a statement from President Tinubu and did not verify whether the President was even aware of the post cited in the charges.
The case was adjourned to February 4, continuing to draw national attention as debates intensify over freedom of expression, accountability, and the limits of state power in Nigeria.
