The defence team of Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja of its intention to summon the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Adeola Ajayi, and presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga as witnesses in his ongoing cyberbullying trial.
Defence Seeks Key Witnesses After Subpoenaed Officer Fails to Answer Questions
Sowore’s lead defence lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, disclosed this after a subpoenaed SSS official, Uwem Davies, could not answer certain questions from the defence team during Wednesday’s proceedings. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2027 general elections, faces prosecution for making false claims against President Bola Tinubu, whom he called “a criminal” in posts on X and Facebook last year. The SSS filed charges of criminal defamation, cyberstalking, and incitement over the posts about Tinubu, who is seeking a second term in next year’s presidential election.
Subpoenaed SSS Witness Testifies on Letter to Sowore
Davies, who appeared as a subpoenaed witness, described himself as the Principal Officer, General Services at the SSS. He said the court subpoenaed him to testify at Sowore’s request. Davies confirmed writing a letter, on the directive of the SSS Director General, requesting Sowore to take down his posts on X and Facebook because they were generating societal tension. He stated that the letter, dated 22 January, was the only letter he wrote asking the defendant to retract his social media posts regarding President Tinubu.
When shown a letter dated September 2025 addressed to the Managing Director and CEO of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, Davies said the letter contained his name but was not authored by him. He identified one B. Bamigboye, also subpoenaed, as his colleague in the same department who had since retired. Davies said he did not interface with Sowore before writing the letter but acted on the directive of the SSS DG, Ajayi.
During cross-examination about his and Ajayi’s relationship with Tinubu, given their claim that Sowore’s post angered many of the president’s supporters, Davies said he could not tell if they were supporters of President Tinubu. He insisted that as a lawyer employed by the SSS, he was instructed by the DG to write the retraction letter. When asked if he interacted with the president’s supporters before writing, Davies said he did not but wrote the letter as directed by his employer.
Defence to Subpoena SSS DG and Presidential Spokesman
At this point, Olumide-Fusika told the court he would have no option but to subpoena the SSS DG because Davies had been unable to answer his questions as desired. Davies said all his actions in the case were in his official capacity, not personal. He confirmed that the subpoena served on the SSS was passed to him in his official capacity. He also confirmed that Bamigboye authored the letter to the Chairman/CEO of X Corp on behalf of the SSS DG in respect of this case, adding that Bamigboye had retired and his present location was unknown to his employer. Davies said he had a copy of that letter with him.
Prosecution lawyer Akinlolu Kehinde applied to tender both documents in evidence, but Olumide-Fusika objected, and the judge upheld the objection. Although Olumide-Fusika told the court he had 20 witnesses to call, he applied for an adjournment to prepare an application for the issuance of a subpoena on the SSS DG. He also said he had applied for a subpoena to be issued on presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga but that the court’s bailiff had been unable to serve Onanuga.
Court Rejects Uncertified Document from Sowore’s Defence
Earlier, the court rejected an uncertified document Sowore presented as part of his defence. Justice Umar refused the application after Olumide-Fusika sought to tender the document through the third defence witness, Wayne Chikezie Elijah. Led in evidence, Elijah told the court he was a member of Sowore’s former legal team and had previously accepted service of court documents from the prosecution on Sowore’s behalf. When asked to produce the document, Elijah brought out a photocopy. Olumide-Fusika applied to tender it, but Kehinde objected, arguing that a court document could only be admitted as a certified true copy or the original. Kehinde argued that the photocopy was inadmissible.
Ruling, Justice Umar overruled Olumide-Fusika’s argument that certification was unnecessary because the document purportedly emanated from the prosecution. The judge noted that the document was produced by a witness who claimed to be a former lawyer on record and that certification was needed to ensure the document had not been tampered with. “Having been in the custody of the said counsel, how is the court sure that the document has not been tampered with? The document is rejected and marked as such,” the judge ruled.
Under cross-examination by Kehinde, Elijah confirmed that he was in and out of the courtroom while the second defence witness was testifying. “My lord, I was in and out of the courtroom. The CCTV of the court can confirm that I was indeed in and out of the courtroom,” he said. Justice Umar adjourned the matter until 28 July for the continuation of defence.
