- The Federal High Court in Abuja warned it may revoke the bail granted to Omoyele Sowore over his absence at a court hearing
- The presiding judge, Mohammed Umar, threatened to issue a bench warrant if Sowore fails to appear at the next hearing
- Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services for alleged cyberstalking of President Bola Tinubu
- The court adjourned the case to March 16 and ordered another hearing notice to be served on the defence
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, March 12, warned that it could revoke the bail granted to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of SaharaReporters, over his absence in court during the hearing of his cyberstalking case involving President Bola Tinubu.
Presiding judge Mohammed Umar cautioned that a bench warrant would be issued for Sowore’s arrest if he fails to appear at the next scheduled hearing.
Sowore is currently facing prosecution by the Department of State Services over alleged defamatory remarks he made about Tinubu on social media.
According to the prosecution, Sowore referred to the president as “a criminal” in posts shared on his X and Facebook accounts. The DSS argued that the statements were false and capable of inciting public disorder.
During the proceedings on Thursday, March 12, Sowore and members of his legal team were absent when the case was called.
Counsel for the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), told the court that the matter was slated for the defence to complete the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.
Kehinde informed the court that the defendant had been properly served with a hearing notice through his lawyers.
He noted that there was no explanation for Sowore’s absence and that none of his lawyers, whom he said numbered about 30, appeared in court to represent him.
Citing Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, the senior lawyer urged the court to revoke the defendant’s bail and issue a bench warrant to compel his appearance.
In his ruling, Umar acknowledged that Sowore had been served with the hearing notice through his legal representatives.
However, the judge pointed out that the activist had consistently attended earlier proceedings since the trial began late last year.
He also observed that some of the previous adjournments had been requested by both the prosecution and the defence.
Umar ruled that Sowore should be given the benefit of the doubt, noting that this was the first time he had failed to appear in court.
Nevertheless, the judge warned that he would grant the prosecution’s request to revoke the bail and issue a bench warrant if the defendant fails to appear at the next hearing.
The case was subsequently adjourned until March 16 for continuation of trial, with the court directing that another hearing notice be served on the defence.
Sowore had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.
The court stipulated that the surety must be a responsible Nigerian citizen with landed property within the Federal Capital Territory and must depose to an affidavit of means.
Justice Umar also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court registrar. In addition, the surety is required to present valid identification and original title documents of the property for verification by the court.