Alleged defamation: Court grants Sowore N200m bail

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday admitted Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress, AAC, to a N200 million bail with two sureties.

Justice Mohammed Umar, in a ruling on Sowore’s application for stay of execution of the order for his bail revocation, directed that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community.

Justice Umar held that the surety must have a landed property in Abuja.

The judge, who held that the sureties must also be verified by the prosecution, ordered Sowore to also deposit his international passport with deputy chief registrar of the court.

The judge then handed over the defendant to his lawyers and adjourned the matter until July 6 for Sowore to open his defence.

Justice Umar earlier vacated the defendant’s bail revocation order and the earlier order remanding him in Kuje Correctional Centre.

Justice Umar had, on June 22, ordered the remand of Sowore, also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, in Kuje Correctional Centre.

The judge, in a short ruling, ordered Sowore to be kept in the correctional centre pending the hearing and determination of his motion for stay of the order for revocation of his bail and bench warrant filed by his lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN.

The judge equally dismissed Sowore’s ealier application seeking the judge’s recusal from the case on the ground of alleged bias.

The judge then adjourned the matter until June 24 for hearing of the application for stay.

After Sowore’s application was moved and argued on June 24, Justice Umar fixed today for a ruling.

The judge ordered the defendant to remain in custody pending the ruling.

The judge had, on June 16, revoked a bail granted to Sowore following his failure to appear in court for his trial.

Justice Umar, in a ruling on an oral application made by the lawyer to DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, also issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

The DSS is prosecuting Sowore for allegedly making false claims against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post he made on his “X” and Facebook accounts.

NAN