Human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has withdrawn his request to call the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, as a witness in his ongoing trial over the alleged criminal defamation of President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore made the decision during proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, explaining that the evidence he initially sought from the DSS Director-General could instead be provided by another official of the agency.
The case took a new turn as the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), personally appeared to lead the Federal Government’s prosecution for the first time since the trial began.
During the hearing, Fagbemi opposed the subpoena earlier issued to the DSS Director-General, arguing that the document in question was not written by Adeola Ajayi but by another DSS official who had already testified before the court.
According to the Attorney-General, the DSS letter advising Sowore to remove social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” had already been admitted as evidence on two occasions.
He also informed the court that the author of the letter, Uwen Davis, had already testified on July 22, making it unnecessary to summon the DSS Director-General.
Meanwhile, Sowore’s lawyer, Olumide Fusika (SAN), challenged the Attorney-General’s appearance in the case, arguing that Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) remained the Federal Government’s counsel officially handling the matter.
After listening to arguments from both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Muhammed Umar, adjourned the case until August 3 for the continuation of the defence.
