A dramatic twist emerged on Wednesday in the ongoing trial of human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, after a principal officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) disowned a letter purportedly sent by the agency to Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, seeking action against the activist’s account.
The DSS official, who appeared as a subpoenaed witness before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, denied under cross-examination that he authored or signed the document presented in court.
During questioning by Sowore’s lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), the witness stated that the signature appearing on the letter was not his and insisted that he never wrote any correspondence to Facebook regarding Sowore.
The witness unequivocally disowned the document tendered before the court, raising fresh questions about the authenticity of the purported communication allegedly sent to Meta.
The development came as the court resumed hearing in the case instituted by the DSS against Sowore over a social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”
Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters, arrived at the Federal High Court in Abuja earlier on Wednesday alongside scores of supporters and activists who gathered in solidarity as proceedings continued before Justice Umar.
The DSS is prosecuting the activist over a post it claims violated the law by referring to President Tinubu as “a criminal”.
Sowore has consistently maintained that his prosecution is politically motivated and designed to suppress dissent and freedom of expression.
The disputed Facebook letter forms part of a broader campaign previously undertaken by the DSS against Sowore’s social media activities.
In September 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the DSS formally petitioned Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, demanding the immediate suspension or deactivation of Sowore’s verified Facebook account over a series of posts critical of President Tinubu.
In the September 7, 2025 letter addressed to Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, the DSS accused Sowore of disseminating what it described as “misleading information” and “inciting violence” through his Facebook page.
The petition, purportedly signed by Uwem Davies for the Director-General of the DSS, specifically cited Sowore’s August 26, 2025 Facebook post in which he criticised President Tinubu following the Nigerian leader’s remarks in Brazil that corruption no longer existed under his administration.
In that post, Sowore wrote: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”
The DSS argued that the statement was defamatory, capable of destabilising Nigeria, and allegedly violated provisions of the Criminal Code Act, the Cybercrimes Act 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The agency also urged Meta to immediately suspend or deactivate Sowore’s verified Facebook account, claiming his activities constituted a threat to national security.
At about the same time, the DSS similarly petitioned X Corp, formerly Twitter, requesting the suspension of Sowore’s verified account over the same post.
In a separate letter dated September 6, 2025, and signed by B. Bamigboye for the Director-General of the DSS, the agency alleged that Sowore’s remarks amounted to hate speech, cybercrime and incitement to violence against the President.
The DSS further issued a one-week ultimatum demanding that Sowore retract the posts, warning that failure to do so would compel the agency to “explore all lawful means to protect national security and public order.”
According to the DSS, Sowore’s criticism of Tinubu had “sparked anger among citizens and could incite public disturbance, disunity, and even insurrection.”
However, Wednesday’s testimony introduced uncertainty over one of the documents allegedly used in that effort after the subpoenaed DSS officer denied any involvement with the purported Facebook correspondence and rejected the signature attributed to him.
The latest development comes days after Justice Umar refused an application by the DSS seeking to foreclose Sowore’s defence because of the temporary absence of his lawyers.
At the previous hearing, the prosecution counsel, Kehinde Akinlolu, had urged the court to prevent Sowore from opening his defence and proceed towards conviction, arguing that the activist was not prepared for trial.
Sowore, however, informed the court that his lead counsel, Olumide-Fusika (SAN), had earlier notified the court of an important engagement in the United Kingdom, while another member of his legal team, Raphael Adakole, had another court engagement outside the Federal Capital Territory.
The activist told the court he preferred not to proceed without his lawyers because of the seriousness of the charges and also sought permission to retrieve his passport for presentation at the U.S. Embassy in Lagos over pressing family matters.
Justice Umar declined to entertain the application in the absence of counsel but ultimately rejected the prosecution’s request to foreclose the defence, agreeing that the case required adequate legal representation.
The trial continues.
(SaharaReporters)
