The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the continued remand of activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, at Kuje Correctional Centre pending a ruling on his application challenging the revocation of his bail.
Justice Mohammed Umar held that Sowore should remain in custody until June 30, when the court is expected to determine his application seeking the restoration of his bail and the setting aside of a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed by the Department of State Services over a social media post in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.”
At the resumed hearing, Sowore, through a legal team led by R.O. Adakole from the chambers of Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, urged the court to vacate its June 16 order revoking his bail and directing his arrest.
The application, anchored on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, argued that the orders made against him were unjustified.
In response, prosecution counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, asked the court to reject the application and proceed with the trial, contending that the defendant failed to provide sufficient grounds for the court to exercise its discretion in his favour.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Umar adjourned the matter for ruling.
The court had last week revoked Sowore’s bail and ordered his remand after he failed to appear for the continuation of his trial. It also dismissed an application seeking the judge’s recusal over alleged bias, holding that no verifiable evidence had been presented to support the claim.
Prior to the hearing he missed, Sowore had written to the court requesting a new date, noting that he had appeared on the originally scheduled date but the judge was absent from the bench without explanation.
He later asked the judge to withdraw from the case and transfer the file to the Chief Judge for reassignment, citing alleged bias and claiming his lawyers were discouraged by the court’s decision to conduct proceedings on a day-to-day basis.
Meanwhile, supporters of the activist staged a protest outside the Federal Ministry of Justice headquarters in Abuja, demanding his release. The demonstrators were earlier prevented from accessing the court premises by security operatives.
Sowore, who was arraigned on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The charges stem from social media posts dated August 25, 2025, in which Sowore reacted to President Tinubu’s remarks in Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
According to the prosecution, the posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and damage the president’s reputation. The DSS had also requested that X (formerly Twitter) and Meta remove the posts and suspend Sowore’s accounts, with his failure to comply forming part of the basis for the charges.
