The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite said that the court would hear all the applications on the next adjourned date.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 23, 2023 for the hearing of the two applications filed by the human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore in the defamation and cyberstalking charge filed by the Nigerian police on behalf of a businessman, Ned Nwoko.
Sowore, through his counsel, Tope Temokun had filed two applications seeking to quash the trumped-up charge bordering on cyberstalking and defamation filed by Nwoko, also a lawmaker, against the human rights activist and an online newspaper, SaharaReporters.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite said that the court would hear all the applications on the next adjourned date.
Temokun is asking the court to set aside the forceful service of the charge meant for SaharaReporters on Sowore in the dock.
He also asked the court to quash the bogus charge bordering on cyberstalking and defamation levelled against the 1st and 2nd defendants.
The prosecution counsel, Edwin Inegbenoise told the court that he had filed counter affidavits to the two applications moved by the defence counsel.
Inegbenoise who has been giving one excuse or the other to the court on the service of processes on the defendants again claimed that he could not locate the address of the defence counsel which is conspicuously located in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The action stopped the court from proceeding with the case as the counter affidavits were served on the defence counsel inside the court.
Temokun while addressing journalists said "The matter between the Commissioner of Police, FCT and Omoyele Sowore has been in the court since 2022. A criminal matter ordinarily will start with arraignment and after arraignment we will proceed to the substantive of whatever allegation anybody might have.
"But we have been coming to court every now and then; even the prosecution makes it look as if it is serious. It is obvious that either he is not serious in prosecuting this matter or he does not have the brief of the nominal complainant to go on with the matter.
"It is not our problem; it is their problem. They are the ones that said they want to prosecute because they alleged that somebody's character has been defamed. We won't be tired because it is part of our job.
"The matter is about the fact that they said Ned Nwoko was defamed by SaharaReporters and is suing Omoyele Sowore and SaharaReporters through police; very ridiculous. When they know the charge will not hold any water, they chopped for additional stuff and went to Twitter to look for a post and use it to amend the charge to add additional count which was not originally part of Ned Nwoko's complaint.”