Court restores Sowore's bail, slams N200m bond in alleged cybercrime trial

By Johnson Arua

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday restored the bail earlier granted to activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in his ongoing cybercrime trial.

Justice Muhammed Umar had on June 16 revoked Sowore's bail, which was initially granted on self-recognisance, and issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for the continuation of proceedings despite writing to the court to explain his absence and request another hearing date.

The court subsequently ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre when the matter came up on June 22.

Following the development, Sowore, whose former legal team had withdrawn from the case over alleged bias against the trial judge, engaged a new lawyer who filed an application seeking the restoration of his bail and the setting aside of the arrest warrant.

Ruling on the application on Tuesday, Justice Umar agreed to restore the defendant's bail but imposed fresh conditions for his release.

The court admitted Sowore to bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in like sum. It also directed him to surrender his international passport pending the determination of the case.

In the application, which relied on Sections 35(4), 36(1) and 66 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, Sowore argued that the earlier revocation of his bail and the warrant for his arrest were unjustified.

Sowore is standing trial on a two-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing him of violating provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024, over social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a "criminal."

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, on December 2, 2025.

According to the prosecution, the disputed posts were made on August 25, 2025, in reaction to President Tinubu's remarks in Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.

The DSS alleged that the posts were capable of inciting public disorder and damaging the President's reputation.

The agency had earlier directed X, formerly Twitter, and Meta Platforms Inc. to remove the posts and suspend Sowore's accounts, while also requesting the activist to delete the content from all platforms.

The prosecution said Sowore's failure to comply with the directive led to the filing of the charges. Printouts of the posts and correspondence from the DSS are listed among the exhibits before the court.

X and Meta, which were initially joined as co-defendants, were later removed from the amended charge.