A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday admitted into evidence a video clip in which former presidential aide and ambassadorial nominee, Reno Omokri, described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “drug lord,” in the ongoing cyberstalking trial of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.
Justice Mohammed Umar admitted the video after dismissing objections raised by counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, ruling that the defence complied with the requirements for tendering electronically generated evidence under Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
The video was tendered during the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness (PW1), a DSS operative, Cyril Nosike, by counsel to the defendant, Marshal Abubakar.
Sowore is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on cyberstalking under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, over social media posts allegedly describing President Tinubu as a “criminal.”
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, the Federal Government alleged that the posts were false and capable of causing a breakdown of law and order. Sowore, who was arraigned on January 19, 2026, pleaded not guilty to both counts.
At the previous sitting, the court had admitted Sowore’s tweets and related screenshots as exhibits following the testimony of the same DSS witness, who claimed the posts generated reactions capable of causing public tension.
During proceedings on Tuesday, Abubakar questioned the DSS witness on whether the agency personally interviewed President Tinubu or obtained a statement from him on the alleged impact of Sowore’s posts.
Nosike admitted that he neither recorded nor knew who recorded a video of the President speaking in Brazil and confirmed that he was not in Brazil at the time it was made.
He further told the court that he did not obtain any personal statement from President Tinubu confirming his identity in the video or explaining how the alleged post affected him.
The witness also admitted that although President Tinubu is listed as the victim in the charge, he had “no idea” whether the President was even aware of the post.
The defence also tendered court orders issued by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court on February 19, 2024, directing the DSS to return three mobile phones seized from Sowore.
Although the prosecution objected, it reserved its arguments for final address, and the documents were admitted as exhibits.
Abubakar further tendered a flash drive containing several video clips of Reno Omokri, along with a certificate of compliance. Kehinde objected, arguing that electronically generated documents must be tendered by their maker, citing Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
Abubakar countered that the law does not require the maker of an electronic document to tender it, provided the statutory conditions are met. In a brief ruling, Justice Umar dismissed the objection and admitted the flash drive and certificate as exhibits.
When the videos were played in open court, one clip showed Omokri during a 2023 interview on ARISE News, where he claimed to possess documentary evidence describing President Tinubu as a “drug lord.”
“Drug lord is not an unprintable name. Bola Tinubu is a known drug lord. I’ve got documents to back it up. I spent my money, went to Chicago, went to court, and got certified true copies. Bola Tinubu is a drug lord,” Omokri was heard saying.
Another clip showed Omokri stating that he would never work with President Tinubu.
Following the playback, Abubakar asked the DSS witness why Omokri was cleared for an ambassadorial appointment despite making such allegations publicly. Nosike said he could not explain the reason.
The defence also put it to the witness that President Tinubu had publicly pledged to protect the rights of Nigerians who criticise or disagree with him. Nosike said he was not aware of such a pledge.
Explaining the basis of the charge, the witness told the court, “I am not serving on the prompt of the President. I am here based on the implication of the post.”
Justice Umar adjourned the matter until February 4, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.
Sowore was re-arraigned by the DSS on December 5, 2025, following the filing of an amended charge containing two counts of alleged defamation of President Tinubu.
While Sowore, X Inc. (formerly Twitter), and Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook) were listed as first, second, and third defendants in the original charge, the amended charge dropped the names of the second and third defendants.
