A federal high court in Abuja has granted ₦200 million bail to Omoyele Sowore, activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).
Justice Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, restored Sowore’s bail on Tuesday with fresh conditions attached.
According to reports, the judge ordered Sowore to provide two sureties.
One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The court also directed Sowore to submit his passport to the court registrar as part of the bail conditions pending the conclusion of the trial.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore on a two-count charge over a social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal” on his X and Facebook accounts.
Sowore had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court initially granted him bail on self-recognition.
However, on June 16, Justice Umar revoked Sowore’s bail and issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.
The judge ruled that the letter seeking an adjournment on Sowore’s behalf did not provide sufficient reasons for his absence.
On June 22, the court ordered Sowore’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application challenging the revocation of his bail.
Justice Umar had also dismissed Sowore’s request for the judge to recuse himself from the case over allegations of bias.