Nigeria, July 6 -- Publisher of Sahara Reporters and activist Omoyele Sowore on Monday opened his defence before the Federal High Court in Abuja in his alleged cyberbullying trial over social media posts in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a "criminal."

The first defence witness, Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer widely known for his public affairs commentaries, defended Mr Sowore's remark about Mr Tinubu in his testimony before the trial judge, Mohammed Umar.

He said Mr Tinubu had publicly stated that citizens had the right to criticise and "even insult him" as part of democratic governance.

He also told the court that the president urged the judiciary "not to allow itself to become an instrument of oppression" against government cri...