The lawyer prosecuting Omoyele Sowore has denied knowledge of a reported plan by the State Security Service (SSS) to suspend the trial. Sowore is the activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters. He is being prosecuted for describing President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.” The prosecutor, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, made the denial on Monday. Sowore’s lead lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, had drawn the judge’s attention to media reports that the SSS planned to seek a long adjournment to allow Sowore to participate in the 2027 election campaign.
Sowore has been a thorn in the side of successive governments. He founded the #RevolutionNow movement. He was arrested in 2019 and detained for months. In 2020, he was re-arrested. The current case concerns posts he made on X and Facebook in August last year. He described Tinubu as a criminal. The SSS charged him with cyberstalking. The case has been slow. The prosecution closed its case earlier this year. In May, the judge dismissed Sowore’s no-case submission and ordered him to enter his defence. The trial stalled over the production of an SSS witness.
The SSS announced on 30 August that its Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, directed Kehinde to take steps towards temporarily suspending the case. The service said the decision was intended to allow Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate, to participate in the 2027 election campaign. The trial would resume after the election.
In court on Monday, Kehinde denied knowledge of the reported position. He urged the court not to rely on social media accounts. He said he was ready to proceed and argued that the responsibility for producing the subpoenaed witness rested with the defence.
The defence had initially sought to subpoena the SSS Director-General over a letter issued to Sowore in September 2025. Following an intervention by Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi in July, the defence agreed that another senior SSS official could appear. The defence expected that official to appear. He did not.
Judge Muhammad Umar gave Sowore’s legal team another opportunity to produce the witness. He adjourned the case until 2 October for continuation of the defence.
Winners: Sowore, who gains another adjournment. The defence, which gains time. The SSS, if it avoids a politically charged trial during the campaign. Losers: The prosecution, whose credibility is questioned. The court, whose time is consumed by procedural disputes. Sowore, if the trial drags on. The SSS, if its earlier announcement is contradicted in court.
Bottom Line: The SSS said it would suspend the trial. Its lawyer says he knows nothing about it. The case continues. 2 October is the next date. The contradictions remain.