As Activist Opens Defence
- Safiu Kehinde
The Department of State Services (DSS) has on Monday demanded the remanded of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore over his alleged failure to fulfil his bail conditions.
DSS, in an oral application filed by its lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), before the Abuja Federal High Court’s Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, on Monday prayed that the court order remand of Sowore of the non-fulfilment of the conditions attached to his bail.
NPO Reported that the court had last week granted the 2027 African Action Congress (AAC) Presidential candidate N200 million bail with two sureties in like terms.
One of the sureties is to be a traditional ruler from his community while the other, a landed property owner in Abuja.
Sowore was also ordered to submit his travel document to the deputy chief registrar of the court among other conditions.
At the resumption of the case hearing on Monday, Kehinde reminded the court of a subsisting court order for Sowore’s bail.
The senior lawyer informed the court that the defendant was yet to fulfil any of the bail conditions made by the court.
“We urge your lordship to make a necessary order for the remand of the defendant until the bail conditions are met,” he applied.
Kehinde said Sowore, who was released to a lawyer that appeared for him on the last adjourned date pending when he filled the bail terms, was yet to meet the conditions.
He said the defendant had not deposited his international passport to the deputy chief registrar of the court; he had not produced a tradition ruler from his community as surety nor produced another surety who has a landed property in Abuja as ordered by court.
According to him, the defendant has not communicated to us whether that passport has been released to DCR.
The lawyer, who argued that the court order cannot be toiled with, said such orders are not made in vain.
However, Sowore’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), begged the court to exercise patience as the processes were ongoing for the perfection of the bail terms.
“It is incorrect that the conditions have not been met. When you meet a bail conditions, the verification will have to be made by the court and this is ongoing my Lord,” he said.
After both lawyers’ submission, Justice Umar held that although Sowore’s release order was signed on the last adjourned date, he would wait before the close of work to see what steps had been taken by the defence before making the order for Sowore’s remand.
Meanwhile, the activist had earlier opened his defence by calling his 1st defence witness (DW-1), Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer and an activist.
Adeyanju, who was led in evidence-in-chief by Olumide-Fusika tendered recordings of video evidence in a flash drive and a certificate of compliance in Sowore’s defence.
Olumide-Fusika then sought an adjournment to enable them to play the video recordings on the next adjourned date.
The judge in reaction adjourned the case to the 13th of July 2026.
Recall that 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.