THE Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore to enter his defence in the cyberbullying case instituted against him by the State Security Service (SSS) over alleged defamatory comments against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The trial judge, Mohammed Umar, in a ruling delivered on Friday, held that the prosecution established a prima facie case against Sowore, sufficient enough to require him to enter his defence. He dismissed the no-case submission filed by the defendant.
“In view of the evidence before the court, a prima facie case has been made out against the defendant requiring him to enter his defence,” the judge ruled.
The ICIR reports that the case has continued to attract public attention due to concerns around freedom of expression, online criticism of public officials, and the application of Nigeria’s cybercrime laws.
Recall that Sowore had urged the court to discharge and acquit him in a no-case submission, after Nigeria’s secret police, otherwise known as the Department of State Services (DSS), had arraigned him on a two-count charge bordering on alleged cyberbullying after he allegedly described Tinubu as a ‘criminal’ on his X account, formerly known as Twitter.
The former presidential candidate argued in his no-case submission that the prosecution failed to establish any link between him and the alleged offences.
However, the judge ruled that the SSS successfully connected the defendant to the allegations and that the evidence presented before the court required an explanation from him.
However, Sowore accused the judge of bias after the ruling, insisting he could no longer get justice before the court. The activist urged the to withdraw from the matter and return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.
Reacting, Umar directed Sowore to file a formal application for recusal, stating the grounds for his request, as the matter was adjourned till May 19 for the accused to open his defence and for the hearing of the recusal application.
The former presidential candidate further alleged that the court was working in concert with the Federal Government to secure his conviction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, also accused the court of favouring the prosecution and formally requested that the case be reassigned.
Meanwhile, the counsel to the SSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, opposed the oral application, arguing that Sowore, being represented by counsel, should not personally address the court on the issue.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.