Court Reinstates Sowore’s Bail, Imposes N200m Bond and New Surety Conditions

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted fresh bail to activist, online publisher and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, after previously revoking his earlier bail over his failure to appear in court.

Justice Umar Mohammed, who presided over the case on Tuesday, ordered Sowore’s release on a ₦200 million bail with two sureties, while outlining strict conditions that must be fulfilled before he regains his freedom.

Under the new terms, one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. The second surety must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The court also directed Sowore to surrender his international passport to the court’s Deputy Registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.

Justice Mohammed further ruled that both sureties must be verified by counsel to the prosecution before the bail can take effect.

The latest ruling follows the court’s decision on June 16, 2026, to revoke the self-recognition bail earlier granted to Sowore in December 2025 after he failed to appear for his trial. The court also issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

At the previous sitting, the judge ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of his application seeking a stay of execution of the order revoking his bail and the bench warrant. The court also dismissed his request that the judge recuse himself from the case over allegations of bias.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on charges of alleged criminal defamation and cybercrime. The charges stem from social media posts on his official X and Facebook accounts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal.”

During Tuesday’s proceedings, defence counsel R. O. Adakole urged the court to release his client into his custody to enable him retrieve his passport from the U.S. Embassy in Lagos.

After hearing the parties, Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter until July 6, 2026, for the continuation of trial proceedings.