Court Admits Reno Omokri Video as Evidence in Sowore Trial

Pat Stevens/

Proceedings in the cybercrime trial of activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, took a notable turn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, as the court admitted video evidence in which former presidential aide Reno Omokri described President Bola Tinubu as a “drug lord”.

During the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Mr Cyril Nosike, a Department of State Services operative, Sowore’s counsel, Mr Marshal Abubakar, tendered a flash drive containing video clips of Omokri.

The clips were played in open court.

One of the videos showed Omokri speaking during a 2023 interview on ARISE News, where he claimed to possess documentary evidence linking Tinubu to drug trafficking.

In the footage, Omokri stated that he had travelled to the United States, obtained certified court documents in Chicago, and insisted that Tinubu was a “drug lord”.

Another clip showed Omokri declaring that he would never work with Tinubu.

Following the presentation of the videos, Abubakar asked the DSS witness why Omokri had reportedly been cleared by the agency for an ambassadorial appointment despite making such serious allegations against the President on national television.

The witness told the court that he had no answer.

Counsel to the prosecution, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), objected to the admissibility of the flash drive.

However, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, overruled the objection and admitted the exhibits in evidence.

Sowore is standing trial on a two-count amended charge of cybercrime arising from a social media post he made on August 25, 2025, in which he described Tinubu as a “criminal”.

The post followed remarks by the President during a visit to Brazil, where Tinubu stated that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.

The prosecution alleged that Sowore’s publication was intended to damage the President’s image and could lead to a breakdown of law and order.

As part of its investigation, the DSS wrote to X and Meta Platforms Inc., requesting the removal of the posts and the restriction of Sowore’s accounts.

The agency also wrote directly to Sowore, asking him to delete the publication.

The charges were filed after both Sowore and the platforms declined to comply.

Other exhibits tendered by the prosecution included printouts of Sowore’s posts on X and Facebook, as well as copies of the DSS correspondence with the social media companies.

During further cross-examination, Sowore’s counsel questioned the DSS witness on whether the agency had obtained a statement from the President or confirmed that Tinubu was aware of the post or had been personally affected by it.

The witness said he did not obtain such a statement and could not confirm whether the President was aware of the publication.

Justice Umar adjourned the case until February 4 for continuation of the trial.