The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday threatened to foreclose Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore’s defence in the ongoing trial over alleged defamation.
The State Security Service (SSS) is prosecuting Mr Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 elections, on cyberbullying charges for calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal in last year’s social media posts.
Mr Sowore, who will be running against Mr Tinubu’s second term bid in the 2027 election, presented widely known lawyer Deji Adeyanju as his first witness when he opened his defence on 6 July.
Justice Mohammed Umar warned of the possibility of cutting short Mr Sowore’s defence following an oral application by the prosecution lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The prosecution lawyer was spurred to make the call after Mr Sowore sought an adjournment of Thursday’s proceedings over his lead defence counsel’s absence.
