The trial of the convener of #RevolutionNow and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, was on Monday adjourned to September 20, 2026, after a heated exchange between defence counsel and the prosecution at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the case for continuation of the defence after cautioning both senior lawyers against making inflammatory remarks in court. The judge warned that any further misconduct could result in their referral to the appropriate disciplinary authorities.
The courtroom disagreement began after counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Chief Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), accused the defence of deliberately delaying the proceedings.
In response, Sowore’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide Fusika (SAN), rejected the allegation, insisting that neither he nor his client had any intention of frustrating the trial.
He argued that if the defence had intended to delay the case, it would have insisted that the Director-General of the DSS, Dr. Tosin Ajayi, personally comply with the court’s subpoena.
Justice Umar had previously subpoenaed the DSS chief to testify, but he did not appear in court. Fusika said the defence agreed to allow another DSS official to testify on Ajayi’s behalf following interventions involving the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Fusika told the court that the day’s proceedings could not continue because the defence only became aware on Monday morning that an application it filed on July 22 had been approved by the court on July 27. He attributed the delay in receiving the information to administrative issues at the court registry.
According to him, the prosecution was unfairly blaming the defence instead of addressing the substantive issues before the court.
“We are not trying to delay proceedings. If we wanted to do so, we would have insisted that the DSS Director-General personally appear in court as required by the subpoena,” Fusika argued.
However, Kehinde urged the court to reject the defence’s position, maintaining that the defence had consistently employed delay tactics. He argued that it was the responsibility of the applicant to monitor the status of any application filed before the court and asked the judge to foreclose the defence’s case.
The prosecution further stated that it had fulfilled its obligation by presenting a DSS official to testify in line with the agreement reached during the previous adjournment.
Following arguments from both sides, Justice Umar urged counsel to conduct themselves professionally and refrain from making provocative statements during proceedings before adjourning the matter until September 20 for continuation of the defence.
