Reno Omokri,
A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted as evidence a video in which former presidential aide and ambassadorial nominee, Reno Omokri, described President Bola Tinubu as a “drug lord” in the ongoing cyberstalking trial of activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.
Justice Mohammed Umar admitted the video on Tuesday after dismissing objections from counsel to the Department of State Services, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN.
The court held that the defence complied with Section 84 of the Evidence Act governing the admissibility of electronically generated evidence.
The video was tendered during the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, a DSS operative, Cyril Nosike, by Sowore’s counsel, Marshal Abubakar.
Sowore is facing a two-count charge under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, over social media posts allegedly referring to President Tinubu as a “criminal.”
The Federal Government, in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, claims 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.
During proceedings, Abubakar questioned the DSS witness on whether the agency interviewed President Tinubu or obtained a personal statement from him regarding the alleged impact of the posts.
Nosike admitted that he did not take any statement from the President and did not know whether Tinubu was even aware of the posts in question.
The witness also confirmed that he neither recorded nor verified a video of the President speaking in Brazil, nor was he present when it was recorded.
The defence further tendered court orders issued on February 19, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, directing the DSS to return three mobile phones seized from Sowore.
Although the prosecution objected, reserving arguments for final address, the documents were admitted as exhibits.
In addition, Abubakar tendered a flash drive containing multiple video clips of Reno Omokri, alongside a certificate of compliance.
The prosecution objected on the grounds that electronic evidence must be tendered by its maker, but the court overruled the objection and admitted the exhibits.
One of the videos, played in open court, showed Omokri during a 2023 interview on ARISE News claiming he possessed documents describing President Tinubu as a “drug lord.”
In the clip, Omokri said he travelled to Chicago, obtained certified court documents, and stood by his claims.
Another video featured Omokri stating that he would never work with President Tinubu.
Following the playback, Sowore’s counsel questioned the DSS witness on why Omokri was cleared for an ambassadorial appointment despite making such allegations publicly.
Nosike said he could not explain the decision.
The defence also pointed out that President Tinubu had publicly pledged to protect the rights of Nigerians to criticize or disagree with him, a claim the DSS witness said he was not aware of.
“I am not acting on the prompt of the President,” Nosike told the court.
“I am here based on the implication of the post.”
Justice Umar adjourned the matter to February 4, 2026, for continuation of cross-examination.
Sowore was re-arraigned on December 5, 2025, after the DSS filed an amended charge.
While Sowore, X Inc. (formerly Twitter), and Meta Platforms Inc. were listed as defendants in the original charge, the amended charge dropped X and Meta from the case.