Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted ₦200 million bail to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, who is standing trial on alleged cybercrime charges.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Umar ordered Sowore to provide two sureties. One must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the other must own landed property in Abuja.
The court directed that both sureties be verified by the prosecution and further ordered Sowore to deposit his international passport with the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.
Justice Umar subsequently released the defendant to his legal team and adjourned the case until Monday, July 6, for the commencement of the defence.
The bail ruling comes weeks after the court ordered Sowore’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his application for a stay of execution following the revocation of his earlier bail and the issuance of a bench warrant against him.
The judge had also dismissed Sowore’s application seeking his recusal from the case over allegations of bias.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which alleges that he committed offences under the Cybercrimes Act by referring to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal” in posts published on his X and Facebook accounts.
Sowore has denied the allegations.
