Alleged defamation: AGF leads prosecution in Sowore’s tral

Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, on Tuesday appeared for the prosecution in the trial of Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters.

Our correspondent reports that Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged criminal defamation before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), was alleged to have made false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post he made on his “X” and Facebook accounts.

Against this development, the DSS charged him with criminal defamation, cyberstalking and incitement.

Fagbemi, on Tuesday, led a team of lawyers, including the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, and Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, among others, in the trial.

He urged the court to reject Sowore’s subpeaned letter, asking the DSS DG, Oluwatisin Ajayi, to testify in his defence.

The AGF, who said the DSS had been so responsive enough to allow the 2nd defence witness (DW-2), an official from the service, to give testimony on the last adjourned date, said the application for Ajayi to testify was to delay the proceedings.