THE trial over the alleged defamation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, commenced on Wednesday with the Department of State Services (DSS) opening its case and calling its first witness.
News Point Nigeria reports that testifying before the Federal High Court, a DSS operative, Cyril Nosike, told the court that a social media post made by Sowore describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” generated public tension and posed a threat to national security.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), Nosike said that on August 26, 2025, while carrying out official duties at the DSS cyberspace monitoring centre, he detected and monitored a post published by Sowore on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
According to the witness, the post referred to President Tinubu using the words:
“This criminal @officialABAT”—the verified handle of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Nosike quoted the full statement attributed to Sowore as saying: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is no more corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The witness told the court that the post was attached to a video showing President Tinubu speaking in Brazil about the achievements of his administration and encouraging foreign investors to do business in Nigeria, citing an improved and corruption-free business environment.
Nosike said he downloaded the video, saved it on a flash drive, and formally documented it as evidence, which he marked “XYZ.” He also prepared a certificate of compliance in line with evidentiary requirements.
When the items were shown to him in court, the witness identified them as the materials he recovered in the course of his investigation.
The prosecution subsequently applied to tender the flash drive and certificate in evidence.
Defence counsel, Marshall Abubakar, informed the court that he would reserve his objection and raise it at the appropriate stage of the proceedings.
Justice Mohammed Umar admitted the exhibits in evidence.
Following admission, the prosecution requested that the video be played in open court. The judge granted the request, and the video was played for the court.
The footage showed President Tinubu addressing a gathering in Brazil, highlighting reforms under his administration and assuring investors of a stable business environment in Nigeria.
Nosike further testified that the DSS monitored public reactions to Sowore’s post and took screenshots of comments from Nigerians within and outside the country.
He said the nature of the reactions prompted the DSS to write official letters to X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook), requesting the takedown of the post on grounds that it was capable of inciting tension and undermining public order.
According to him, the DSS also wrote to Sowore through his lawyers, demanding a retraction of the post.
The witness told the court that although the DSS letter was marked confidential, Sowore later posted a screenshot of it on his Facebook page.
Nosike said the publication of the confidential letter attracted further reactions that were critical of the DSS, portraying the agency negatively and complicating its operations.
The prosecution tendered copies of the letters sent to social media companies, the letter addressed to Sowore, and screenshots of online reactions. The court admitted all the documents in evidence.
Nosike concluded his testimony by stating that Sowore’s posts complicated the work of security agencies, particularly the DSS, by fueling public tension and misinformation.
At the close of the prosecution’s examination-in-chief, the court invited defence counsel to begin cross-examination.
Abubakar requested time to study the witness’s testimony before proceeding. While the prosecution objected to the request, Justice Umar granted an adjournment but declined the defence’s request for a February date.