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| Omoyele Sowore in court |
Activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has been granted fresh bail in the sum of ₦200 million by the Federal High Court in Abuja following the revocation of his earlier bail.
The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, granted the activist bail on Tuesday with two sureties in like sum.
The judge ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore's community, while the second must own landed property in Abuja. Sowore was also directed to deposit his international passport and other travel documents with the deputy registrar of the court.
The fresh bail followed Sowore's remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre after the court revoked his earlier bail over his failure to appear for the continuation of his trial.
Sowore is facing a five-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime, stemming from a comment in which he described President Bola Tinubu as "a criminal."
The court had, in December, admitted Sowore to bail on self-recognisance following his arraignment. As part of the conditions, Justice Umar warned him against making statements capable of inciting the public against the President.
However, on June 16, the court revoked the bail and issued a bench warrant for Sowore's arrest after he and his legal representatives failed to appear in court for the scheduled hearing.
Before the proceedings, Sowore had written to the court, stating that he would be unable to attend because of a pre-arranged engagement in Lagos and requested an adjournment.
The DSS prosecution team, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the request, describing the absence as a deliberate attempt to delay the trial. The prosecution subsequently made an oral application for the revocation of Sowore's bail, which the court granted.
Following the bench warrant, Sowore voluntarily appeared before the court on June 22 to challenge the order and seek Justice Umar's recusal from the case. The judge dismissed the application, declined to withdraw from the matter, and ordered that Sowore be remanded in custody pending the determination of his fresh bail application.
At Tuesday's proceedings, Justice Umar granted the fresh bail application, restoring Sowore's freedom subject to compliance with the conditions imposed by the court.