JUST IN: Court grants Sowore N200m bail

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday granted N200 million Naira bail, and two sureties, to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore. Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community in […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday granted N200 million Naira bail, and two sureties, to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.

Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling, ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Umar also ruled that the second surety must have landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and that those sureties must be verified by the counsel to the prosecution, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

The court also ordered that Sowore must deposit his international passport with deputy chief registrar of the court for a safekeeping before further actions.

Daily Trust reports that Sowore was remanded in Kuje correctional Centre on June 16 by Justice Umar after he revoked the earlier bail he granted the elite human rights activist on “self-recognition” last December.

The judge, thereafter, issued a bench warrant for the politician’s arrest after he failed to appear in court for his trial on allegations bordering on cybercrime and criminal defamation.

Last Tuesday, Justice Umar ordered that Sowore be kept in the Kuje Correctional Centre until his motion for a stay of the execution of the order for the revocation of his bail and bench warrant is determined.

When the matter came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar dismissed Sowore’s other application that the judge be withdrawn from further presiding over his trial on the ground of alleged bias.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore over alleged criminal defamation arising from claims that he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in posts made on his official X and Facebook accounts.

The defendant’s lawyer, R. O. Adakole, however, appealed to the judge that Sowore be released to him to enable him get his passport from the US embassy in Lagos.

Justice Umar then adjourned to July 6, 2026, for continuing of hearing after Sowore’s counsel plea.