Abuja court dismisses Sowore’s no-case submission in DSS cyberbullying case

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed Omoyele Sowore, activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters’s no-case submission in the charges filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly cyberbullying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ruled on Friday that the DSS had successfully established a prima facie case linking Sowore to the offences, paving the way for him to enter his defence.

The charges stem from Sowore’s social media posts in which he reportedly referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal”.

Sowore, through his lawyer Marshall Abubakar, had urged the court to discharge and acquit him on the two-count charge.

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Following the ruling, Sowore accused the judge of bias, alleging that the trial was being manipulated to prevent him from contesting the 2027 general elections.

The activist also requested the recusal of Justice Umar, a motion echoed by his lawyer, who called for the case file to be reassigned to another judge.

The DSS, represented by Akinlolu Kehinde SAN, opposed the request, urging the court to proceed without granting Sowore direct audience.

Justice Umar directed Sowore to file a formal application for recusal, detailing his grievances.

The court has scheduled May 19 for Sowore to open his defence and for consideration of the recusal request.