Cyberbullying: Sowore’s trial stalls after courtroom clash

The criminal trial of African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore was stalled on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja after a disagreement between defence and prosecution lawyers disrupted proceedings. The case, which involves allegations of cyberbullying, was adjourned after both senior lawyers disagreed over a fresh request by the defence to delay the hearing.

During the proceedings before Justice Muhammed Umar, Sowore’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), asked the court for another adjournment. He explained that the defence had been unable to obtain Certified True Copies of court documents it considered necessary to continue its case. According to him, the request for the documents was submitted on July 22, but the court registry repeatedly informed the defence that approval had not been granted. He later discovered that the judge had already approved the request on July 27, leading him to blame the delay on the registry rather than the court.

Olumide-Fusika also informed the court that a Department of State Services officer had appeared in response to a subpoena issued to the agency’s Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi. However, he said the defence could not proceed with the witness because the required documents had not yet been released.

The prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the application. He argued that the defence had been given enough opportunities to present its case and accused it of delaying the trial. He maintained that the prosecution had fulfilled its responsibility by ensuring the DSS witness was present in court and said it was the duty of the defence to actively pursue the requested documents from the court registry.

Kehinde asked the court to close the defence’s case, arguing that repeated adjournments had slowed the progress of the trial. He also maintained that the right to fair hearing does not give any party unlimited opportunities to delay proceedings.

In response, Olumide-Fusika rejected the allegation that the defence was intentionally slowing the trial. He said his team had acted diligently and could not control the internal processes of the court registry. He explained that the requested documents were necessary for the defence to properly question its witness and present its case before the court.

The proceedings became more tense when the defence lawyer interrupted the prosecution during further submissions and referred to him as a persecutor instead of a prosecutor. The remark drew an immediate warning from Justice Umar, who cautioned the senior lawyer against making similar comments in court and warned that further misconduct could lead to disciplinary action.

The judge noted that since the prosecution closed its case, the defence had called only one witness and had requested several adjournments. After considering the arguments from both sides, Justice Umar adjourned the matter until September 20, 2026, for the continuation of the defence.

Sowore is facing a two-count charge filed by the Federal Government over alleged cyberbullying. The prosecution accused him of describing President Bola Tinubu as a criminal on his verified X and Facebook accounts. Sowore has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.