A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja issues a final warning to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and a former African Action Congress presidential candidate, in his ongoing criminal defamation trial. At Thursday’s hearing before Justice Mohammed Umar, the judge warns that the court may foreclose Sowore’s defence if he or his legal team fails to proceed on the next adjourned date. The warning follows repeated delays in the case. The hearing involves competing positions on whether to grant another adjournment: Sowore’s counsel Marshall Abubakar seeks more time, while the Department of State Services (DSS) lawyer Akinlolu Kehinde opposes further delay, arguing that the defence has consistently stalled proceedings despite prior directions aimed at speeding up the matter. Justice Umar says the court had previously accommodated the defence but will no longer tolerate unnecessary delays. The court grants what it describes as a final adjournment, fixing July 22 for continuation of Sowore’s defence. The underlying allegation is that Sowore referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in posts on Facebook and X; Meta and X were initially joined but were later struck out, leaving Sowore as the sole defendant.