Headlines:
Alleged Cyberbullying: Court Rejects Sowore’s Bid To Compel DSS DG to Testify
The court held that the subpoena concerned an official act of the DSS and that the expected testimony was not personal to the Director General.
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2027 general elections, Omoyele Sowore, has lost his bid to compel the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi, to personally appear in court as a witness in his trial on the alleged cyberbullying of President Bola Tinubu.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed Sowore’s application while delivering a ruling.
At the day’s proceedings, Justice Umar delivered a ruling on the arguments for and against the subpoena issued to the DSS Director General at the request of the defence.
Sowore, through his lawyer, Adeyinka Fusika SAN, had sought an order of the Federal High Court to compel the DG’s appearance to testify on official activities of the DSS relating to the cyberbullying case instituted against him.
However, the counsel for the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde SAN, had opposed the move, arguing that another official of the agency could testify on his behalf.
The senior lawyer argued that it was absurd for Sowore to insist on the DSS DG’s appearance in court in an action that was purely official and not personal.
He argued that since the DSS put Sowore on trial, any official delegated by the organisation could testify for the establishment.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that the subpoena concerned an official act of the DSS and that the expected testimony was not personal to the director general.
The court consequently ruled that another DSS official could appear to give evidence on the agency’s behalf.
Following the ruling, defence counsel Olumide Fusika SAN called the third defence witness, Michael Jego, an investigating officer with the DSS, who is currently being led in evidence.
