Court Frees Sowore on N200m Bail, Sets Tough Conditions

Court Frees Sowore on N200m Bail, Sets Tough Conditions

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted fresh bail to African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, admitting him to bail in the sum of N200 million.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Umar directed that Sowore must provide two sureties before he can regain his freedom.

One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his hometown in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, while the other must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

The court also ordered that both sureties be verified by the prosecution.

As part of the bail conditions, Sowore was directed to surrender his international passport to the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar pending the conclusion of the case.

The ruling comes weeks after the activist was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre following the revocation of an earlier bail granted to him on self-recognition.

The court had also issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for trial.

Sowore had remained in custody while the court considered his application seeking a stay of execution of the order revoking his bail and the warrant issued against him.

Justice Umar also dismissed an application filed by the defence asking him to step aside from the case over allegations of bias, clearing the way for the trial to continue under his court.

The Department of State Services is prosecuting Sowore over allegations of cybercrime and criminal defamation linked to social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”

During Tuesday’s proceedings, defence counsel R. O. Adakole urged the court to release his client to enable him retrieve his passport from the U.S. Embassy in Lagos.

The request was made after the court ordered that the passport be deposited as part of the bail conditions.

The case was subsequently adjourned until July 6 for the continuation of hearing.