The Federal High Court has adjourned the alleged cyberbullying case against Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, until October 2. The adjournment will enable him to continue presenting his defence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services over social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a criminal and accused him of misrepresenting the extent of corruption in Nigeria. After the prosecution concluded its case, the court rejected Sowore’s no-case submission and ordered him to defend himself.
At the latest hearing, Sowore’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, informed the court that a subpoenaed DSS witness was absent. He argued that the defence could not proceed effectively without the witness and noted that the defence might seek a warrant compelling the witness to appear. He also presented newspaper reports suggesting that the DSS intended to request a suspension of proceedings until after the general elections.
Prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, disputed the relevance of the reports, describing them as unreliable social media-based information. He maintained that it was the responsibility of the defence to produce its witness and urged the court to compel Sowore to proceed or risk having his defence foreclosed.
Justice Mohammed Umar, however, granted the defence another opportunity to produce the subpoenaed witness. The decision underscores the court’s effort to balance the efficient administration of justice with the defendant’s right to present a full defence.
