Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted ₦200 million bail to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, who is facing alleged cybercrime charges.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Umar ordered Sowore to provide two sureties as part of the bail conditions. One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the other must own landed property in Abuja.
The court directed the prosecution to verify the sureties before the bail conditions can be perfected.
Justice Umar also ordered Sowore to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court pending the conclusion of the trial.
Following the ruling, the judge released Sowore to his legal team and adjourned the case until Monday, July 6, for the commencement of the defence.
Earlier this month, the court ordered Sowore’s remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his application seeking a stay of the revocation of his bail and the bench warrant issued against him.
Justice Umar had also dismissed Sowore’s application requesting that he recuse himself from the case over allegations of bias.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore over allegations that he violated the Cybercrimes Act by making false claims against President Bola Tinubu. The charge stems from posts published on Sowore’s X and Facebook accounts in which he allegedly referred to the President as “a criminal.”
Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the case is expected to proceed with the opening of the defence on July 6.
