Court Remands Sowore in Kuje Prison Over Cybercrime Trial
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the remand of activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, at the Kuje Correctional Centre, following the dismissal of his application seeking the recusal of the trial judge. Justice Mohammed Umar ordered that Sowore be kept in custody pending the hearing and determination of his motion for a stay of the order revoking his bail and the bench warrant issued against him.
The ruling came after Justice Umar dismissed Sowore’s application seeking the judge’s disqualification from the trial over allegations of bias. Sowore had renewed his request for Justice Umar to withdraw from the case, alleging bias and hostility in court proceedings. He also claimed members of his legal team refused to continue representing him, citing what they described as unfair treatment.
Sowore arrived at the court premises accompanied by supporters and members of his group carrying placards. He told newsmen at the premises that he knew the court would order his detention. The defendant, who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, had earlier opted to represent himself before the court after his legal team withdrew from the case.
The remand followed the revocation of bail previously granted to Sowore. Justice Umar had, in a ruling on June 16, revoked the bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after Sowore failed to appear in court for the continuation of his trial. The judge granted an oral application by counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinkolu Kehinde, SAN, who described Sowore’s absence as “delay tactics”. The judge had last December granted Sowore bail based on self-recognition.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed by the DSS for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post. The charges stem from posts published on Sowore’s X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts in which he allegedly referred to the president as “a criminal”. The DSS had initially filed a five-count charge against Sowore over the social media posts. The secret police had asked him to pull down the post, but he insisted that it was within his fundamental human right to freedom of speech to post as he liked.
The case originated in August 2025 when Sowore allegedly used his verified X handle, @YeleSowore, to post a message describing Tinubu as a “criminal” in relation to the President’s remarks in Brazil on Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts. Sowore was originally charged alongside the parent companies of X and Facebook on December 5, 2025, but a subsequent amendment to the charges saw the companies dropped from the case as defendants.
Last month, the trial judge rejected Sowore’s “no-case submission,” ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him. The prosecution has since concluded its case after presenting its sole witness. On May 20, Sowore refused to enter his defence as ordered by the judge. His lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, told the court that Sowore personally wrote to the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, seeking reassignment of the case on grounds of alleged bias.
The judge adjourned the matter until June 24 for hearing of the application for stay. The motion for stay was filed by the defendant’s new lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN.