The Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) has called for the prosecution of politician and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, over the alleged leaking of a video clip from an ongoing court case involving the Department of State Services (DSS).
The group accused Sowore of contempt of court and violating national security laws after a video surfaced online showing his lawyer cross-examining a DSS operative during a court session in his ongoing cyberbullying trial.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Alhaji Ibrahim Dan-Musa, NEYGA condemned the leak, describing it as “a mockery of the judicial process and a grave breach of national security.”
According to the group, the leaked footage exposed the identity of a DSS operative, in contravention of the National Security Agencies Act (1986) and the Official Secrets Act (1962).
“In the United States, where Sowore lived for decades, exposing the identity of a secret service agent is a serious federal crime under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. The same principle applies in Nigeria,” the statement said.
The group said Sowore and his legal team should have been aware of the implications of their actions, warning that the alleged leak could expose him to further criminal liability beyond his ongoing trial.
“Sowore and his lawyer should have known better. By leaking a video that reveals a DSS operative, he risks prosecution under the National Security Agencies Act and the Official Secrets Act,” it stated.
NEYGA emphasised that ignorance of the law is no excuse, stressing that DSS operatives are bound by strict oaths of secrecy to safeguard national security and classified information.
“Personnel of the DSS operate under strict confidentiality. Violating these laws attracts severe punishment, including up to 20 years imprisonment, fines, and possible asset forfeiture,” the group warned.
The youth group also called on the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, to treat the alleged leak as direct contempt of court (in facie curiae) and impose appropriate sanctions on the defendant.
“This disrespectful conduct must not go unpunished. The defendant attempted to turn the hallowed chambers of the court into a circus. It is important to show that Nigeria is a nation governed by law, not a banana republic,” the statement added.
The controversial 12-minute video clip, now widely circulated on social media, reportedly shows Sowore’s lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, cross-examining a DSS operative, as well as an objection raised by the DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), and a ruling by the trial judge.
Efforts to obtain comments from Sowore or his lawyer were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to their phones went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
