Fresh controversy erupted at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday as the trial of activist Omoyele Sowore took an unexpected turn, exposing uncomfortable questions for the Department of State Services (DSS) over its handling of criticism against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The tension rose during cross-examination when Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, presented video footage showing former presidential aide Reno Omokri making sweeping allegations against Tinubu on national television—remarks that appeared to attract no legal action.

The clips, tendered via a flash drive, were played in open court while Cyril Nosike, a DSS operative and the prosecution’s first witness, looked on. One video showed Omokri during a 2023 ARISE News interview claiming he possessed court documents from the United States allegedly linking the President to drug-related offences.

“Bola Tinubu is a known drug lord. I have documents to prove it,” Omokri stated in the broadcast.

Another clip captured Omokri insisting he would never align politically with Tinubu.

Abubakar seized the moment to question why the DSS later cleared Omokri for an ambassadorial appointment despite those statements, while Sowore is facing prosecution for calling the President a “criminal” online. The DSS witness admitted he could not explain the agency’s decision.