Sowore’s Lawyer Accuses DSS of Misplaced Priorities, Blasts Agency’s Court Evidence

The lead counsel for human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has strongly criticized the Department of State Services, accusing it of losing its way and targeting government critics instead of focusing on banditry and terrorism.

Abubakar Marshal spoke on Tuesday following the cross-examination of the DSS’s first witness, operative Cyril Nosike, in Sowore’s ongoing cyberstalking trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Marshal stated that the agency should “bury its head in shame” over the evidence presented.

He highlighted what he called a glaring contradiction: the DSS submitted a video as evidence in which a public figure labeled President Bola Tinubu an “international drug baron,” yet the same person was later cleared by the DSS for an ambassadorial appointment.

“We asked the witness why the DSS cleared such a person after those statements,” Marshal said. “His response was that he did not know why the person was cleared, but admitted that he was indeed cleared by the DSS.”

Marshal described the trial as a “sham” and an institutional failure, noting that the DSS witness admitted in court he had received no instruction from President Tinubu to file the case.

The lawyer expressed concern over the agency’s deviation from its core mandate of intelligence gathering, accusing it of meddling in civil matters such as tenancy disputes, debt mediation, and even arresting a woman for refusing a forced marriage.

He also questioned the DSS’s claim of monitoring social media “24 hours a day,” asking why it focuses on criticism of the president while bandits freely post kidnapping videos online.

Marshal warned that the DSS is losing public credibility and urged it to refocus on combating terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.

“This is the lowest point the DSS can sink to,” he concluded. “They must urgently retrace their steps and refocus on intelligence gathering to confront the real threats that plague this country.”