A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, fresh bail in the sum of N200 million, weeks after revoking his earlier bail over his failure to appear in court.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Muhammad Umar ordered Sowore to provide two sureties before the bail could take effect. One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the other must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The court also directed the defendant to surrender his international passport to the court registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.
Following the ruling, Justice Umar released Sowore into the custody of his legal team and adjourned the case until Monday, July 6, when he is expected to open his defence.
Sowore is facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”
He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
The court had earlier revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for trial. Sowore explained that he was unable to attend because of a prior engagement in Lagos and had requested an adjournment, but the prosecution opposed the request, urging the court to continue with the proceedings.
Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the trial judge’s recusal. The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of his fresh bail application.
Reacting after Tuesday’s ruling, Sowore described the new bail conditions as part of continued efforts to frustrate him but maintained that they would not deter his activism.
He said the movement he represents could not be stopped and insisted that his legal challenges were secondary to what he described as the broader struggle for the liberation of Nigerians.
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