The trial over the alleged defamation of President Bola Tinubu by human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, commenced in earnest as the Department of State Services (DSS) called its first witness.
Testifying before the court, DSS operative Cyril Nosike told the judge that a social media post allegedly made by Sowore—describing President Tinubu as a “criminal”—sparked public tension and posed a threat to national security.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, Nosike said that on August 26, 2025, while on duty at the DSS cyberspace monitoring centre, he detected and monitored a post made by Sowore on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
According to the witness, the post referred to the President as “This criminal @officialABAT,” the official handle of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Sowore reportedly accompanied the post with a statement accusing the President of dishonesty after he addressed Brazilian business leaders, declaring that corruption had been eliminated under his administration.
Nosike told the court that upon identifying the post and the accompanying video, he downloaded the material, stored it on a flash drive, and labeled it “XYZ.” When presented with the flash drive and a certificate of compliance, he identified them as the same items he had prepared in the course of his duties.
Following an application by the prosecution to tender the materials in evidence, defence counsel Marshall Abubakar reserved his objection for a later stage. Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently admitted the flash drive and the certificate of compliance into evidence.
At the prosecution’s request, the court ordered that the video be played in open court. The footage showed President Tinubu speaking about the achievements of his administration while urging Brazilian investors to explore opportunities in Nigeria, asserting that the country now offers a conducive business climate free from corruption.
Nosike further testified that he took screenshots of public reactions to Sowore’s post, which, he said, reflected growing tension. Based on these reactions, the DSS wrote official letters to the owners of X and Meta (Facebook), requesting the removal of the post on grounds that it was capable of inciting unrest.
He added that the DSS also sent a formal letter to Sowore through his legal representatives, demanding a retraction of the allegedly inciting statement. According to the witness, although the letter was marked confidential, Sowore later posted a screenshot of it on his Facebook page.
Nosike told the court that the publication of the DSS letter triggered further reactions from Nigerians at home and abroad, many of which he described as disparaging and damaging to the image of the DSS.
The prosecution went on to tender copies of the letters exchanged with the social media platforms, the letter to Sowore, and screenshots of public reactions, all of which were admitted in evidence by the court.
The DSS witness concluded that Sowore’s posts complicated the operations of security agencies, including the DSS, by heightening public tension.
At the close of the witness’s examination-in-chief, Justice Umar invited Sowore’s counsel to begin cross-examination. However, Abubakar requested additional time to study the testimony and exhibits before proceeding.
While counsel to the DSS opposed the request for adjournment, the court granted a brief adjournment but declined the defence’s request for a February hearing date.
Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently adjourned the matter to January 27 for cross-examination and continuation of trial.
