Sowore opts to defend himself in cyberbullying trial

The publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, on Friday indicated his readiness to represent himself in court pending reconstitution of a new legal team in the ongoing trial for alleged cyberbullying.

Sowore told Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after the case was called to open his defence.

Justice Umar had on Thursday fixed today for the defendant to open his defence on the matter.

The judge, who declined to grant an oral application by Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, for a long adjournment, ordered that the trial shall be conducted day-to-day.

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Sowore was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly making false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post on his “X” and Facebook accounts.

At the resumed hearing on Friday, only DSS lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), was in court when the case was called.

The defence counsel was conspicuously absent.

When the defendant, who was already in the dock, was asked by the judge the whereabouts of his lawyer, he said following the ruling of the previous day that the trial would proceed on a day-to-day basis, his lawyers were afraid to appear in court.

“Our lawyers indicated to me they are afraid before you and will not appear any longer because of the humiliation they suffered before this court.

“And pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship,” he stated.

Sowore told the court that it was his constitutional right to choose lawyers to represent him in any trial in Nigeria.

The defendant then informed the court that he had two applications which he had filed and one of it had already been served on the prosecution.

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