Court rejects Sowore’s request to compel DSS DG to testify in ‘cybercrime’ trial
Court rejects Sowore’s request to compel DSS DG to testify in ‘cybercrime’ trial
A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed an application by Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, seeking to compel Oluwatosin Ajayi, director-general (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), to testify in his defence in a cybercrime case.
Delivering a ruling on Monday, Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, held that the appearance of the DSS director-general was unnecessary, ruling that another officer with knowledge of the agency’s official activities could testify.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the DSS over social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal”.
Through his lawyer, Olumide Fusika, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sowore had asked the court to compel Ajayi to testify as a defence witness.
However, Akinlolu Kehinde, counsel for the DSS, opposed the application, arguing that another official of the agency could testify on behalf of the director-general.
Kehinde argued that the case concerned the official duties of the DSS, rather than any personal act of its director-general.
In his ruling, Umar agreed with the prosecution that the expected testimony concerned the agency’s official activities and was not personal to Ajayi.
“The testimony that is expected from the director-general is not personal but in respect of an official act or engagement,” the judge said.
Umar consequently held that the director-general or any designated DSS officer with full knowledge of the relevant official business could testify in the case.
Following the ruling, the defence called Michael Jego, a DSS investigating officer, as its third witness.
Jego told the court that he was part of the DSS investigation team that flagged Sowore’s posts on X and Facebook and advised him to retract them.
The witness said the posts, allegedly published on August 26, 2025, had the potential to pose a significant threat to national security.
The DSS operative also said he was part of the team that monitored reactions to the posts.
