The cybercrime trial involving Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate, faced a sudden interruption on Monday following a heated dispute between legal teams. Justice Mohammed Umar chose to adjourn the proceedings after counsel clashed over a request to close the defence’s case.
The tension began when DSS lawyer Akinolu Kehinde, SAN, asked the court to foreclose Sowore’s defence. Sowore is currently facing two counts of cybercrime related to social media posts labeling President Bola Tinubu a criminal. The defence lead, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, had previously requested an adjournment to review documents essential for cross-examining a DSS official. He argued that despite requesting the files on July 26, they were only provided by the court registrar shortly before the hearing began, even though the judge had approved their release in late July.
Kehinde argued that the defence was merely stalling to delay the trial. This accusation sparked an angry retort from Olumide-Fusika, who characterized the claim as an insult and accused the DSS of persecuting his client. He noted that the defence had been flexible enough to withdraw a subpoena against the DSS Director General, Omuwatosin Ajayi, following intervention from the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN.
As the lawyers continued their verbal confrontation, citing the length of time the trial has taken since March, Justice Umar halted the arguments and moved the next hearing to September 28. Sowore, who entered a plea of not guilty in December 2025, is being prosecuted under the Cybercrimes Amendment Act of 2024. The charges stem from August 2025 posts made in reaction to President Tinubu’s assertion in Brazil regarding the end of corruption in Nigeria. The DSS contends these posts were meant to damage the President’s reputation and incite civil unrest, leading to attempts to have Sowore’s accounts blocked by social media platforms.
