Cyberbullying: Sowore’s trial stalled as chaos erupts in court

The cyberbullying trial of activist Omoyele Sowore was stalled on Monday following a heated exchange between two Senior Advocates of Nigeria at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Sowore’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, clashed with prosecuting lawyer Akinlolu Kehinde during proceedings before Justice Muhammed Umar.

The dispute began after the defence requested another adjournment, saying it had not received certified copies of court documents needed to continue its case.

Fusika said the defence applied for the documents on July 22 but was repeatedly informed by the court registry that the judge had not approved the request.

He said the defence later discovered that Justice Umar had approved the application on July 27.

According to him, the documents were necessary for the questioning of a Department of State Services official who was present in court following a subpoena.

Kehinde opposed the adjournment and accused the defence of deliberately delaying the trial.

He argued that the prosecution had ensured that the DSS witness attended court and urged the judge to close the defence’s case.

Kehinde said Sowore’s lawyers had been given several opportunities to present their case but had failed to make progress.

Fusika rejected the accusation, insisting that the delay was caused by the court registry and not the defence.

He described the suggestion that Sowore’s legal team was frustrating the trial as insulting.

Tension rose when Fusika referred to Kehinde as a “persecutor” rather than a prosecutor during the exchange.

Justice Umar immediately cautioned Fusika against further outbursts and warned that a repeat could lead to disciplinary action.

The judge noted that the defence had called only one witness since the prosecution closed its case and that the matter had been adjourned several times at its request.

He subsequently adjourned the trial until September 20 for continuation of the defence.

The Federal Government is prosecuting Sowore on two counts of cyberbullying over social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a criminal.

Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the charges.