The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has led the prosecution in the criminal defamation trial of the publisher of Sahara Reporters and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Mohammed Umar, Fagbemi headed the Federal Government’s legal team, which included the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, and other senior counsel.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, the Attorney-General urged the court to reject a subpoena issued by the defence seeking to compel the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to appear and testify on Sowore’s behalf.
Fagbemi argued that the application lacked merit, maintaining that the DSS had already demonstrated its willingness to cooperate with the defence by making available its second defence witness (DW-2), a serving official of the agency, who testified at the previous adjourned sitting.
According to the Attorney-General, there was no justification for insisting that the DSS Director-General should personally testify, describing the move as an attempt to unnecessarily prolong the proceedings. He urged the court to dismiss the request and allow the trial to continue without further delay.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of criminal defamation, cyberstalking and incitement over social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.” The prosecution contends that the statements were false and defamatory.
The court is expected to rule on the defence’s application before proceeding with the remaining stages of the trial.