ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the no-case submission filed by activist Omoyele Sowore in the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against him by the Department of State Services over comments directed at President Bola Tinubu.
The court ruled on Friday that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Sowore, meaning the activist has questions to answer before the court.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore for allegedly referring to Tinubu as a “criminal” on his X social media handle.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that evidence presented by the prosecution, including testimony from its witness, sufficiently linked Sowore to the social media post in question.
The judge said the activist would be required to provide explanations regarding issues raised during the trial.
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“The defendant has a case to answer,” the court ruled, dismissing the no-case submission filed by Sowore’s legal team.
Following the ruling, Sowore, through his counsel, sought permission from the court to personally address the judge, a request that was granted.
The activist told the court he lacked confidence in getting justice under Justice Umar, alleging that the court had previously humiliated his lawyer by ordering him to kneel and had also subjected him to harassment during the proceedings.
Sowore subsequently asked the judge to recuse himself from the matter.
His lawyer informed the court that a formal application seeking the judge’s withdrawal from the case would be filed.
Justice Umar thereafter adjourned the matter until May 19 for further proceedings, despite objections from Sowore’s counsel, Mr Marshal, who argued that the date was inconvenient for the defence team.