A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered politician and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, to open his defence in an ongoing cyberbullying and defamation trial involving President Bola Tinubu.
Justice Mohammed Umar delivered the ruling on Friday, dismissing Sowore’s "no-case submission." The court held that the prosecution, led by the Department of State Services (DSS), had established a prima facie case sufficient to warrant a formal response from the defendant.
Case Background
Sowore is facing prosecution over social media posts made on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, in which he allegedly referred to President Tinubu as a "criminal." The DSS contends that these statements constitute cyberbullying and defamation under Nigerian law.
Following the conclusion of the prosecution's evidence, Sowore’s legal team argued that the state had failed to provide enough evidence to link him to the alleged crimes. However, the court upheld the arguments of the DSS lead counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), asserting that the evidence presented thus far requires the defendant to provide an explanation or rebuttal.
Tensions in the Courtroom
The proceedings took a dramatic turn after the ruling when Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, made an oral application. Addressing the court directly, Sowore accused Justice Umar of bias and requested that the judge recuse himself from the matter.
Sowore cited a previous incident in which he alleged the judge had humiliated his lawyer by ordering him to kneel during a court session. Expressing a lack of confidence in the court’s impartiality, Sowore stated:
"I am not sure I will get justice in this court."
Next Steps
While the prosecution argued that a request for recusal must be filed formally, the defense maintained their stance on the loss of confidence in the presiding judge. Justice Umar subsequently directed Abubakar to file a formal written application detailing the grounds for the recusal request and to serve same on the prosecution.
The matter has been adjourned until May 19, 2026, for the hearing of the application regarding the judge’s recusal and the continuation of the trial.