Sowore drops plan to call DSS DG as witness in defamation trial

Online publisher and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has withdrawn his plan to call the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, as a witness in his ongoing trial over the alleged criminal defamation of President Bola Tinubu on social media.

Sowore told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the evidence for which he had earlier subpoenaed the DSS boss could instead be obtained from another official of the service. At Tuesday’s proceedings, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), personally led the prosecution on behalf of the Federal Government for the first time since the trial began.

Fagbemi objected to the subpoena issued to the DSS Director-General, arguing that the document on which Ajayi was expected to testify was not authored by him but by another DSS official who had already testified in the case.

The AGF further argued that the DSS letter advising Sowore to remove social media posts in which he described President Tinubu as a “criminal” had already been tendered and admitted as evidence twice by the court, making any further attempt to tender it unnecessary. He also told the court that the author of the letter, Uwen Davis, had testified on July 22 on behalf of the defence and that the document was already before the court.

Sowore’s counsel, Olumide Fusika (SAN), objected to the Attorney-General’s appearance in the matter, arguing that Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) remained the Federal Government’s counsel on record in the case. After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Muhammed Umar adjourned the matter until August 3 for the continuation of the defence.