A federal judge in Abuja has blocked activist Omoyele Sowore from submitting uncertified documents as evidence in his defamation trial. Justice Mohammed Garuba Umar made the ruling on Wednesday after Sowore's legal team sought to introduce the papers through a witness.
Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Alliance Congress, faces allegations that he made defamatory remarks about President Bola Tinubu. The documents in question included a summary of witness testimony and various letters that Sowore's lawyers wanted to present.
Lead counsel Olumide Fusika, a senior advocate of Nigeria, called lawyer Wayne Chikezie Elijah to the stand to tender the materials. The move triggered an objection from the opposing counsel representing the Department of State Services.
Akinlolu Kehinde, a senior advocate representing the DSS, challenged the admissibility of the documents. He argued they qualified as public documents and therefore required certification before a court could accept them as evidence.
Kehinde pressed the judge to reject the bid, citing the Evidence Act. He contended that allowing uncertified public documents would violate legal procedure.
Fusika countered that the papers originated from court records and didn't need certification. He maintained that their source made them acceptable without the formal verification process.
Justice Umar sided with the DSS lawyer. "The reason for certification is to be sure the document has not been tampered with," the judge said.
"Having been in the custody of the said counsel, how is the court sure that the document has not been tampered with?"
The judge rejected all the documents and marked them as inadmissible. This decision prevents Sowore's defense team from using them in the proceedings.
Earlier that day, Uwen Davis, a principal officer with the general services division of the DSS, testified for the prosecution. He said he wrote a letter dated September 7, 2025, to the chief executive of a corporation identified as X Corporation.
Davis told the court the letter requested the deletion of a post where Sowore allegedly called Tinubu a criminal. He confirmed the correspondence warned that Tinubu's supporters were becoming angry over the remarks.
Under questioning, Davis acknowledged the letter referenced potential civil unrest. However, he couldn't identify which supporters of the president had expressed fury about the posts.
When asked how he arrived at his conclusions, Davis said he simply followed instructions. He explained that a superior officer directed him to draft and send the letter.
