Court to Decide on Sowore's Bail Request Soon

The Federal High Court in Abuja will announce its decision on 30 June regarding activist and presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore's request to restore his bail. His bail was revoked last week, which led to his detention in prison on Monday.

Judge Mohammed Umar set the date for the ruling after listening to arguments from Sowore's lawyers and the State Security Service (SSS). The SSS is prosecuting Sowore on cybercrime charges for calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal in his social media posts last year.

Sowore was arrested right after Monday's court session and sent to Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. He is challenging the court's decision from 16 June, which revoked his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest because he was not in court that day.

During the hearing, Sowore's lawyer R.O. Adakole, who stood in for Adeyinka Oloyede-Fusika, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), asked the court to “restore the status quo that existed before 16 June.” Adakole presented a motion dated 17 June, which was filed on 19 June. He also submitted a 25-paragraph affidavit from Emmanuel Larry.

Adakole referred to another affidavit submitted on Wednesday and a legal reply dated 23 June. He urged the court to grant the request “in the interest of justice” and to reject the counter-affidavit from the prosecution.

The prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde, also a SAN, did not support the bail request. Kehinde mentioned that they filed a 25-paragraph counter-affidavit and a written address asking the court to deny the application.

He argued that Sowore did not provide enough truthful facts to convince the court to act in his favor. The prosecution requested that the court dismiss Sowore's application.

After hearing from both sides, Judge Umar postponed the matter until 30 June for a ruling. After the postponement, Sowore's lawyers asked the court to release him until the ruling.

Adakole argued that Sowore was represented by a senior advocate of “impeccable character” and that this should be enough to release him. The prosecution disagreed, saying that such a request could not be made verbally.

In response, the judge asked if releasing Sowore would mean he had made a decision about the main application. “If I release him, won’t that mean I have ruled on the application?” the judge asked. He denied the request and said the current arrangement would stay until the ruling.

The SSS charged Sowore with cybercrime for his posts on X and Facebook last year that called President Tinubu a criminal. They took him to the Federal High Court in Abuja in December 2025, where he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on self-recognition.

On 13 May, the court dismissed his no-case submission and told him to start his defense. Sowore later filed a request for Judge Umar to withdraw from the case, claiming bias. The judge set 15 June for a decision on that request, but the court did not meet that day, even with Sowore present.

According to his defense, Sowore told court officials he would go to Lagos and asked that any new date be set for July. But the case was rescheduled for 16 June. When Sowore did not appear, the court revoked his bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.

On Monday, the court dismissed his request for the judge's recusal and ordered him to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre while his bail revocation and arrest warrant were being challenged.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the revocation of Sowore's bail has faced backlash from political and civil society groups, including Amnesty International Nigeria, SERAP, the #EndBadGovernance movement, and the African Action Congress.

Critics say the decision raises concerns about due process, freedom of expression, and how the government treats its critics. The African Action Congress (AAC), Sowore's political party, called the decision unfair and politically motivated, pointing out that he had appeared in court on 15 June before the case was rescheduled.