Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has warned that he may close the defence of human rights activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore if he fails to continue presenting his case at the next hearing.
The warning followed the absence of Sowore’s legal team when the case came up for hearing on Thursday.
Although Sowore was present in court, none of his lawyers appeared.
Explaining the absence of his counsel, Sowore told the court that his lead lawyer, Olumide Fusika (SAN), was in the United Kingdom with the court’s knowledge, while another member of his legal team, Raphael Adakole, was outside the court’s jurisdiction.
He therefore sought an adjournment to enable his lawyers to appear and requested permission to make an oral application.
Justice Umar, however, told Sowore that he could only entertain the application if the defendant intended to conduct his own defence.
Opposing the request, prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde reminded the court that the matter had previously been adjourned to July 16, 2026, to enable the defence to serve subpoenas issued by the court on relevant parties.
Kehinde argued that the absence of Sowore’s lead counsel at the previous hearing did not prevent the proceedings from continuing, noting that the court had already directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis.
He further submitted that the latest request amounted to the 11th adjournment sought by the defence, contrary to the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), and urged the court to foreclose the defence and make the necessary consequential orders.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that the right to a fair hearing requires that a defendant be given every reasonable opportunity to present a defence, adding that the court cannot compel an accused person to defend himself.
The judge, however, described the adjournment as the final opportunity for Sowore to continue his defence, warning that failure to proceed at the next hearing would result in the defence being foreclosed.
The case was subsequently adjourned until July 22.
