By Chinedu Echianu
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted fresh bail to activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, 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. The court ruled that one surety must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice Umar also directed the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.
Following the ruling, the judge 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 arising from social media posts in which he reportedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.” He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court had, on June 16, revoked Sowore’s earlier bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for trial.
Sowore had informed the court that he could not attend the proceedings because of a prior engagement in Lagos and requested an adjournment. However, the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Akinlolu Kehinde, opposed the application and urged the court to proceed with the trial.
Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the recusal of the trial judge. The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of his fresh bail application.
In restoring his bail, Justice Umar maintained the N200 million bail bond and directed Sowore to fulfil all the conditions attached before regaining his freedom.
Reacting after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of what he called continued efforts by the authorities against him but maintained they would not deter his activism.
“There is no force on earth that can stop this revolution,” he said. “Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come.
“What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people.”
