Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has warned that he may revoke the bail of politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore if he fails to appear at his ongoing cybercrime trial
The judge also indicated that a bench warrant could be issued to ensure Sowore’s compulsory presence in court at the next hearing.
The warning came on Thursday following submissions from the prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), who noted that Sowore deliberately failed to attend court despite being duly served with a hearing notice through his legal team.
Sowore is facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly making false claims against President Bola Tinubu, referring to him as a criminal in posts on his X and Facebook accounts. At Thursday’s hearing, Sowore and his team of roughly 30 lawyers were absent.
Kehinde told the court that the day’s proceedings were meant for the defence to conclude its cross-examination of the first prosecution witness. He confirmed that notices had been properly served on Sowore and his lawyers and questioned why neither the defendant nor his legal team appeared in court or provided any explanation.
Invoking Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, Kehinde requested that the court revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his immediate production in court to continue the trial.
In his ruling, Justice Umar acknowledged that Sowore had been properly served but noted that he had consistently attended previous court sessions since the case began late last year. The judge also highlighted that prior adjournments had been requested by both the prosecution and the defence.
Ultimately, Justice Umar said Sowore should be granted the benefit of the doubt, given that this was his first absence from the trial.
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