The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday rejected documents tendered by activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, which alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in 2011 described former President Goodluck Jonathan as a “drunkard” and a “sinking fisherman.”
Sowore, who is standing trial on cybercrime charges, had sought to tender the documents as part of his defence. However, the court ruled that the materials did not meet the requirements for admissibility under the law.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, who declined to admit the documents after the prosecution objected to their acceptance in evidence.
The documents were tendered through a witness of the prosecution, Mr. Cyril Nosike, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), who appeared in court as the first prosecution witness, PW-1.
During cross-examination by Sowore’s lawyer, Mr. Abubakar Marshal, the witness distanced himself from the documents. He told the court that he was not aware of any occasion where President Tinubu made such remarks against former President Jonathan.
Based on this response, counsel to the DSS, Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, challenged the admissibility of the printed document. He argued that the document did not satisfy the conditions set out in the Evidence Act because the witness was neither the maker of the document nor able to confirm its content.
In a similar development, the court also rejected another document tendered by Sowore’s lawyer, which alleged that President Tinubu once described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as “expired meat.”
Again, the prosecution objected to the document, and the court upheld the objection, ruling that the document could not be admitted through a witness who had no knowledge of its origin or authenticity.
The developments took place during the ongoing trial of Sowore, who is facing a two-count amended charge under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Sowore is accused of describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” in a post he made on social media platforms on August 25, 2025. The post was published after President Tinubu, during an official visit to Brazil, stated that his administration had successfully ended corruption in Nigeria.
According to the Federal Government, Sowore’s post was defamatory and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order, especially among Nigerians with differing views about the President.
The prosecution also alleged that the publication was intended to damage the personality and reputation of President Tinubu.
During cross-examination, Sowore’s lawyer asked the DSS witness several questions bordering on corruption issues in Nigeria.
When asked whether he had any evidence to show that corruption had ended in Nigeria, the witness answered in the negative.
“My Lord, he is asking for my opinion. I am not here to give an opinion,” the witness told the court.
The defence lawyer also asked the witness if he was aware that the DSS had dismissed 115 officers in December 2025 over corruption allegations. The witness said he could only recall that officers were dismissed following an internal investigation but could not confirm that corruption was the reason.
He also denied knowledge of several other corruption-related issues raised by the defence, including whether the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2025 charged five former governors for corruption, arrested officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over an alleged N7.2 billion fraud, or dismissed 27 of its officers for fraud and misconduct.
Mr. Nosike told the court that although he monitors cyberspace around the clock, his duties are limited to issues affecting national security.
“I only concentrate on matters bordering on national security and not issues outside my mandate,” he said.
When asked whether the dismissal of 115 DSS officers should have attracted his attention, he responded that it was not part of his responsibility.
At that point, Sowore’s lawyer produced publications relating to the dismissal of DSS officers and asked the witness to confirm that the dismissals were linked to fraud and corruption.
The witness declined, saying he was not part of the process that led to the dismissals and could not comment on them.
He also denied knowledge of Nigeria’s global corruption ranking and said he was not aware of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
Asked whether he knew that Nigeria ranked 140 out of 180 countries in the global corruption index, the witness said he was not aware.
The defence lawyer further questioned the witness about political figures and public commentators.
The witness admitted knowing Chief Femi Fani-Kayode as an ambassador-designate but said he was not aware that he was a vocal critic of President Tinubu.
He also denied knowledge of claims by Fani-Kayode that President Tinubu knew about the death of Chief Funsho Williams, a Lagos-based politician who was murdered.
The witness said he was not aware that the DSS screened Fani-Kayode as an ambassador-designate.
Although he said he had heard of Chief Funsho Williams, he could not recall that Williams was murdered in Lagos while Tinubu was governor of the state.
He also denied knowledge of any video by another ambassador-designate, Mr. Reno Omokri, accusing President Tinubu of involvement in Williams’ death.
The witness further told the court that he was not aware of protests staged in London by Omokri, during which Tinubu was allegedly accused of being a drug lord.
Earlier in the trial, the prosecution tendered several exhibits, including printouts of Sowore’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, as well as letters written by the DSS to the two social media platforms.
The DSS had written to X and Meta Platforms Inc., requesting the removal of the posts and asking that Sowore’s accounts be restricted. The agency also wrote directly to Sowore, asking him to delete the publication.
According to the prosecution, the charge was filed after Sowore and the social media companies failed to comply with the DSS request.
Sowore was first arraigned before the court on December 2, 2025, and later re-arraigned on January 19, 2026. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Justice Umar adjourned the case until March 5 to allow the defence lawyer to conclude the cross-examination of the prosecution witness.