Court Grants Sowore N200m Bail in Cybercrime Trial, Orders Surrender of Passport

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and publisher, bail in the sum of N200 million in his ongoing cybercrime trial.

Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Umar ordered Sowore to provide two sureties. One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, whilst the other must own landed property in Abuja. The court also directed the prosecution to verify the credentials of both sureties.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Sowore to surrender his international passport to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court pending the conclusion of the trial.

Following the ruling, Justice Umar released the defendant into the custody of his legal team and adjourned the case until Monday, 6 July, for the commencement of the defence.

Earlier this month, the court ordered Sowore’s remand at Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his application seeking a stay of the order revoking his bail and the bench warrant issued against him. Justice Umar also dismissed an application in which Sowore sought the judge’s recusal from the case, citing alleged bias.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore over allegations that he made false claims against President Bola Tinubu by describing him as “a criminal” in posts published on his X and Facebook accounts.