Abuja court rejects defence documents in Omoyele Sowore’s cyberbullying trial, barring alleged statements by President Tinubu against former leaders

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday rejected documents the defence of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore sought to tender in his ongoing cyberbullying trial.

Also read: Northern Youths Seek Prosecution of Sowore Over DSS Video Leak

The court ruled that statements allegedly made by President Bola Tinubu against former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo could not be admitted, as the prosecution’s first witness testified he was unaware of their contents.

Sowore faces two amended counts of cybercrime for describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” in a social media post on August 25, 2025, following Tinubu’s claim during a Brazil visit that corruption in Nigeria had ended under his administration.

During cross-examination, defence counsel Marshal Abubakar attempted to tender online publications highlighting ongoing corruption within public institutions.

He cited the Department of State Services (DSS) dismissing 115 officers for corruption and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dismissing 27 staff, prosecuting five governors, and arresting officials of the NNPC in connection with a N7.2 billion fraud.

Abubakar argued that these documents were relevant, showing that corruption persisted in Nigeria and that anti-graft agencies were still battling malpractice.

The defence also sought to tender documents alleging President Tinubu, in 2011, described former President Jonathan as a “drunkard and sinking fisherman” and Obasanjo as “expired meat,” highlighting inconsistencies in Tinubu’s criticism of corruption.

Prosecution counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) opposed both sets of documents, saying they were irrelevant to the cyberstalking charges and failed to comply with Section 84 of the Evidence Act. Justice Mohammed Umar upheld the objection, barring the documents.

The DSS witness further testified that he had no knowledge of Nigeria’s ranking on global corruption indices and was unaware of social media posts by figures such as Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri, which accused President Tinubu of corruption, drug trafficking, and involvement in the death of former Lagos governorship candidate Funsho Williams.

Also read: Omoyele Sowore Declared Wanted by Lagos Police

The court adjourned the matter until March 5, 2026, for the continuation of the defence’s cross-examination.