The prosecution in Omoyele Sowore’s alleged cybercrime trial has opposed the defence’s demand for the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to appear personally in court as a defence witness.
At Friday’s proceedings before the Federal High Court in Abuja, prosecution counsel Akinlolu Kehinde argued that another DSS official could testify on behalf of the agency’s director-general. He relied on a Supreme Court decision which, he said, established that a subpoena issued to a public officer does not necessarily require the named officer to appear personally.
Sowore’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, maintained that Ajayi should attend because the subpoena and hearing notice were issued in his name. He said the defence sought the DSS chief’s appearance after a DSS witness indicated during testimony that some questions could only be answered by Ajayi.
Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently adjourned the case until October 6, when he is expected to rule on whether the DSS director-general can be compelled to appear personally and testify.
Sowore is facing charges over social media posts published in August 2025 concerning President Bola Tinubu. The prosecution alleges that the posts amounted to cyberbullying.
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