The Federal Government has submitted new court documents indicating that it will rely on televised interviews and newspaper articles involving Bemigho Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, as evidence in the ongoing criminal trial against human rights activist Omoyélé Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This update is part of a notice for an additional list of documents filed according to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, where the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant.
Sowore was recently re-arraigned by the Federal Government on amended charges of alleged cyberstalking against President Bola Tinubu.
He pleaded not guilty to these charges.
The prosecution alleges that the cyberstalking claim arises from posts allegedly made by Sowore on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, where he referred to Tinubu as a "criminal."
To bolster its case, the prosecution cited two television interviews conducted by Omokri, which aired on News Central Television and Channels Television’s Politics Today program, alongside articles released by Vanguard and Punch newspapers in December 2025 and January 2026, respectively.
Additionally, the prosecution provided a USB drive containing electronic versions of the materials and a Certificate of Compliance issued in line with Section 84 of the Evidence Act, 2011, a requirement for the acceptance of electronically generated evidence.
In a certificate personally signed by him, Omokri, who identifies as a lawyer, investor, and author, confirmed the origin, authenticity, and integrity of the electronic materials that the prosecution intends to use during the trial.
He added that the television interviews and online publications were downloaded from YouTube and various news websites using his Hewlett Packard (HP) computer, Model Number M44DL9H, and printed using a Sharp Printer (AR-5731).
Omokri further stated that the interviews aired on News Central Television and Channels Television were also stored in a USB flash drive, which is now among the prosecution's documentary exhibits.
He mentioned that both the HP computer and the Sharp printer were functioning properly at the time the information was provided and documentation generated.
Omokri affirmed that the documents were produced incidentally during the computer's operations and that he compared the printed versions with the original electronic files, confirming their identity.
The certificate, dated January 29, 2026, was provided to fulfill the stipulations of Section 84 of the Evidence Act, which regulates the admissibility of electronic evidence in Nigerian courts.
An Affidavit of Service filed by Kemi Esene, Practice Manager at Kehinde & Partners LP, confirmed that Sowore was served personally with the additional documents on February 3, 2026.
The affidavit stated that the defendant received the Summary of Witness Statement of Mr. Bemigho Reno Omokri, the Certificate of Compliance, the Notice of Additional List of Documents, and a Notice of Additional List of Witnesses, along with proof of service.
This latest filing emphasizes the prosecution's strategy to focus on media interviews, online publications, and electronically stored materials in its case, subjecting statements made in the public domain to judicial review in the cyberstalking trial against Sowore.
The case is ongoing in the Federal High Court, Abuja.
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