By David Lawani, Abuja
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, narrowly avoided an immediate return to the Kuje Correctional Centre on Monday after a Federal High Court in Abuja granted him until 4 p.m. to fulfil the stringent conditions attached to his ₦200 million bail.
Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that the activist must satisfy all bail conditions by close of business on Monday, warning that any further default would automatically result in his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending compliance.
The judge admitted Sowore to bail last Tuesday after granting his application for a stay of execution of an earlier order revoking his bail.
As part of the conditions, the court directed him to produce two sureties, including a traditional ruler from his community and a property owner in Abuja, both of whom must be verified by the prosecution.
He was also ordered to surrender his international passport to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
At Monday’s proceedings, counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), told the court that Sowore had yet to comply with any of the conditions despite having several days to do so.
He urged the court to revoke the reprieve and order the defendant’s immediate return to custody, arguing that there was no legal basis for extending the timeline.
“The defendant was released to his lawyer to retrieve and deposit his passport with the court. That has not been communicated to us, and the other conditions have not been met either. The law is settled; there should be no sentiment,” Kehinde argued.
The senior advocate further noted that Sowore neither informed the prosecution of any difficulty in meeting the conditions nor approached the court to seek a review of the bail terms.
Counsel to the defendant, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), however, appealed for more time, assuring the court that the international passport would be deposited before the deadline expired.
He attributed the delay to difficulties in retrieving the passport from the United States Embassy in Lagos, explaining that activities marking America’s 250th Independence Anniversary celebrations had affected the process.
After listening to both parties, Justice Umar granted the defence a final window until the close of work on Monday to perfect the bail conditions.
“Failure to comply with the bail conditions by 4 p.m. today will result in the defendant being remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending compliance,” the judge ruled.
Sowore is standing trial in a case instituted by the DSS over alleged defamatory publications on his X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts, in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a criminal.
The court subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the matter until July 13, 2026.
