Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to revoke the bail granted to politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore, warning that an arrest warrant would be issued if he fails to appear at the next hearing in his ongoing trial on cybercrime-related charges.
The judge issued the warning on Thursday following submissions by the prosecuting lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), who informed the court that Sowore did not attend the session despite being duly served with a hearing notice through his team of lawyers.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly posting false claims against President Bola Tinubu on his X and Facebook accounts, referring to the President as a criminal.
At Thursday’s hearing, Sowore and all his lawyers, numbering around 30, were absent. Kehinde noted that the day’s proceedings were scheduled for the defence to conclude cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.
Confirming the defendant had been served, Kehinde cited Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, requesting that the court revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his immediate production in court.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Umar acknowledged that Sowore had been consistently attending court since the trial began late last year and that this was his first absence. The judge therefore urged caution and allowed the benefit of the doubt, but issued a stern warning: failure to appear at the next adjourned date would prompt immediate bail revocation and issuance of a warrant.
The court adjourned the trial until March 16 for continuation, ordering that a further hearing notice be served to the defence.
