The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 30, 2026, to rule on an application filed by activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, seeking the restoration of his bail and the withdrawal of a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
Justice Mohammed Umar scheduled the ruling after both the defence and prosecution adopted their respective court processes.
The court had earlier revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant after he failed to appear for the continuation of his trial over allegations of cybercrime and criminal defamation.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services over claims that he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in posts published on his social media accounts. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Sowore’s legal team informed the court that they had filed an application challenging the revocation of his bail and requesting that the court set aside the bench warrant. The defence argued that the application was backed by affidavits and legal authorities and urged the court to grant the reliefs sought in the interest of justice.
The Federal Government opposed the application, insisting that Sowore had not presented sufficient grounds to justify the restoration of his bail. Prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the request, arguing that the defendant had failed to provide facts capable of convincing the court to exercise its discretion in his favour.
Following submissions from both sides, Justice Umar adjourned the matter to June 30 for a ruling.
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After the adjournment, Sowore’s lawyers made an oral application requesting that he be released into their custody pending the court’s decision. They assured the court that he would be produced on the next adjourned date.
The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that such an application should be made formally to allow the government an opportunity to respond.
The defence maintained that releasing Sowore temporarily would not affect the court’s ruling and informed the court that he was reportedly experiencing health challenges while in custody.
However, Justice Umar declined the request, noting that granting it would undermine the purpose of fixing a date to rule on the pending application. The judge stated that he was yet to fully consider the submissions before him and therefore ordered that Sowore remain in custody until the court delivers its ruling on June 30.
