Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to revoke the bail granted to politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore over his absence at the hearing of his ongoing cybercrime trial.
The judge issued the warning on Thursday, stating that the court could also issue a bench warrant for Sowore’s arrest if he fails to appear at the next hearing.
Justice Umar’s position followed an application by the prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), who informed the court that the defendant failed to attend proceedings despite evidence that a hearing notice had been served on him through his team of lawyers.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made false claims against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by referring to him as a criminal in posts published on his social media accounts, including X and Facebook.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Sowore was absent from court, and none of his lawyers—said to number about 30—was present.
Reacting to the development, Kehinde told the court that the matter was scheduled for the defence to conclude its cross-examination of the first prosecution witness. He said he had confirmed from the court registry that hearing notices were served on both the defence and the prosecution.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant, who is expected to be present in court during proceedings, did not explain his absence or that of his legal team.
Citing Sections 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, Kehinde urged the court to revoke the defendant’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his immediate production in court.
In his ruling, Justice Umar acknowledged that Sowore had been duly served with a hearing notice through his lawyers. However, he noted that the defendant had consistently attended previous sittings since the trial began late last year.
The judge also observed that earlier adjournments in the case were requested by both the prosecution and the defence, adding that the defendant should be given the benefit of the doubt since it was the first time he had failed to appear.
Justice Umar nevertheless warned that if Sowore fails to attend the next hearing, the court would grant the prosecution’s request to revoke his bail and issue an arrest warrant.
The case was subsequently adjourned until March 16 for continuation of trial, withthe the court directing that another hearing notice be served on the defence.
