DSS Director Tosin Ajayi to Face Cross-Examination in Sowore's 'Tinubu Is a Criminal' Trial

Omoyele Sowore was back in court yesterday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, and the big news is that DSS Director Tosin Ajayi is scheduled to face cross-examination in this case. This is the case where Sowore is being prosecuted by the DSS for calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal. Justice Mohammed Umar is presiding, and the whole thing has become a major test for free speech in this country.

Let me be clear about something. The DSS has every right to protect national security, but using state resources to prosecute a citizen for expressing an opinion about a public figure is a dangerous precedent. Sowore has maintained from day one that these charges are politically motivated, and honestly, it is hard to argue with him. If we cannot call a spade a spade in this country, then what exactly is democracy for?

Civil society groups and human rights advocates are watching this case closely, and they should be. The outcome will determine whether we can still criticise our leaders without ending up in a DSS cell. So let me ask you this: if saying a politician is a criminal becomes a crime, then what is left of our freedom of expression? Am I the only one that thinks this trial is an embarrassment to the judiciary?