Sowore bail restored after the Federal High Court in Abuja reinstated the bail earlier granted to activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in his ongoing cybercrime trial instituted by the Department of State Services. The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Muhammed Umar, who also imposed fresh conditions that must be met before the defendant can regain his freedom.
Justice Umar granted Sowore bail in the sum of N200 million and directed him to provide two sureties in like sum. The court further ordered the activist to surrender his international passport as part of the conditions for his release from custody. The latest ruling followed an application filed by Sowore’s new legal counsel seeking the restoration of his bail and the setting aside of an earlier arrest warrant issued by the court.
The Sowore bail restored decision comes after the court had revoked the activist’s earlier bail, which had been granted on self-recognisance on June 16. The trial judge subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest after Sowore failed to appear for the continuation of proceedings, despite submitting a letter explaining his absence and requesting another hearing date.
When the matter resumed on June 22, the court ordered that he be remanded at Kuje Custodial Centre. Following those developments, Sowore engaged a new legal team after his previous lawyers withdrew from the case over allegations of judicial bias.
Sowore pleaded not guilty on December 2, 2025, to the two-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025 filed by the Department of State Services. The charges were brought under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The prosecution alleges that social media posts published by Sowore on August 25, 2025, in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal,” violated the provisions of the law. According to the DSS, the posts were made in response to remarks by the President during a visit to Brazil, where he stated that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
The DSS alleged that it initially requested Sowore to remove the posts and also asked X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. to restrict access to his accounts and remove the disputed content. The agency said Sowore’s failure to comply with those requests resulted in the criminal charges. Prosecutors further argued that the posts were capable of causing a breakdown of law and order while damaging the President’s reputation.
The Sowore bail restored ruling allows the trial to continue once the defendant fulfils the conditions imposed by the court. The amended charge no longer lists X Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. as co-defendants after they were removed from the proceedings.
