The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, on Tuesday appeared in court as the lead counsel for the prosecution in the alleged criminal defamation case involving Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters.
Sowore, who is also the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), is facing prosecution by the State Security Service (SSS) before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of criminal defamation, cyberstalking and incitement.
The charges followed a social media post by Sowore on X and Facebook, where he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal”, a statement the authorities considered defamatory.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Fagbemi appeared alongside the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, and lawyer Akinlolu Kehinde as members of the prosecution team.
The AGF urged the court to dismiss Sowore’s request for the SSS Director-General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, to appear as a defence witness. He argued that the security agency had already cooperated with the defence by allowing another SSS official, listed as the second defence witness, to testify during the previous adjourned sitting.
Fagbemi maintained that the request to summon the SSS boss was unnecessary and was only intended to prolong the trial.
The court is expected to continue hearing arguments from both sides as the matter progresses.