Court Grants Sowore Fresh ₦200m Bail, Orders Traditional Ruler, Abuja Property Owner as Sureties

Activist and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has been granted fresh bail in the sum of ₦200 million by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre over an alleged breach of earlier bail conditions.

Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Umar ordered Sowore to produce two sureties in like sum before he can regain his freedom.

According to the court, one of the sureties must be a recognised traditional ruler from Sowore’s community, while the second must be the owner of a landed property within Abuja. The judge also directed the activist to deposit all his international travel documents with the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court pending the conclusion of the trial.

Sowore is facing a five-count charge instituted by the Department of State Services over alleged cybercrime. The charges arise from a social media post in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”

The activist was initially granted bail on self-recognisance in December 2025 after his arraignment. At the time, Justice Umar cautioned him against making public comments capable of inciting citizens against the President while the matter remained before the court.

The court, however, revoked the bail on June 16, 2026, after Sowore failed to appear for the continuation of his trial. Justice Umar subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest when neither the defendant nor his legal team was present in court.

Before the hearing, Sowore had written to the court explaining that he would be unable to attend because of a previously scheduled engagement in Lagos and requested an adjournment.

The prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, opposed the request, arguing that the defendant’s absence was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the proceedings. The court upheld the prosecution’s argument and revoked the earlier bail.

Following the bench warrant, Sowore voluntarily appeared before the court on June 22, 2026, where he challenged the revocation of his bail and also sought the recusal of Justice Umar from the case. The judge dismissed the application, declined to withdraw from the matter, and ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his fresh bail application.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, Justice Umar granted the fresh bail application, restoring Sowore’s liberty subject to strict conditions, including the provision of the two sureties and the surrender of his travel documents.

The matter was subsequently adjourned for the continuation of trial.