Abuja court dismisses Sowore's no-case submission in cyberbullying charge
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore regarding a cyberbullying charge. The Department of State Services DSS brought the charge against Sowore for alleged defamatory comments made against President Bola Tinubu on social media. Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ruled that the prosecution established a prima facie case, requiring Sowore to present a defense. The DSS accused Sowore of calling Tinubu a “criminal” on X formerly Twitter. Sowore had sought discharge and acquittal, arguing the prosecution failed to link him to the alleged offenses. Following the ruling, Sowore accused Justice Umar of bias and requested the judge withdraw from the case, alleging the court was collaborating with the Federal Government for a conviction before the 2027 general elections. Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, also accused the court of favoring the prosecution and formally requested reassignment due to loss of confidence. DSS counsel Akinlolu Kehinde SAN opposed this. Justice Umar directed Sowore to file a formal recusal application and adjourned the matter until May 19 for Sowore to open his defense and for the recusal application hearing.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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