DSS Seeks Case Adjournment In Sowore Cyber-Bullying Trial Until After 2027 Polls
By Sunday Etuka
The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to ask a Federal High Court to put on hold its prosecution of African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over alleged cyber-bullying of President Bola Tinubu, until after the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
A source close to the DSS lawyer, disclosed that the Director General, Mr. Tosin Ajayi, met with lead counsel Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, and senior officers of the service’s legal directorate on August 20, a day after INEC lifted its ban on campaigns, to discuss pausing the case so Sowore could freely contest the election
The prosecution stems from posts Sowore made on X and Facebook on August 25, 2025, in which he allegedly referred to President Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The DSS had gone to court seeking a judicial ruling on whether such characterizations of the president, or any individual, amount to cyber-bullying — a move it said mirrored its earlier court action over Professor Pat Utomi’s “Shadow Government.”
In a September 6, 2025 letter to Meta’s chairman, the DSS argued that its mandate extends beyond shielding the president from physical threats to protecting him from psychological attacks as well. It had given Sowore seven days to delete the posts; when he declined, the agency filed the matter in court on September 16, 2025, without arresting or inviting him.
The source said Ajayi told his legal team that with campaigns now underway, fairness demanded the case be paused so Sowore could take part in the election unhindered, noting that the matter had already dragged on for nearly a year and a further delay of a few months would change little.
The DSS’s request for adjournment is expected to be formally filed with the court on Monday, September 14, 2026, when proceedings resume after the judiciary’s annual vacation. Similar cases against other candidates are reportedly also under review.
Contacted for comment, Kehinde confirmed the development, describing it as consistent with what he called the current DG’s even-handed approach to ensuring all candidates compete on a level playing field.
He said the defense team would formally seek the court’s indulgence for the adjournment.
