The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted fresh bail to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, in the sum of ₦200 million.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Mohammed Umar following Sowore’s application for the restoration of his bail after his earlier release conditions were revoked.
According to the court, the bail is subject to strict conditions, including the provision of two sureties in like sum.
Justice Umar ruled that one of the sureties must be a recognised traditional ruler from Sowore’s community, while the second surety must possess landed property within Abuja.
The court also directed Sowore to surrender all his travel documents to the Deputy Registrar pending the determination of the case.
Sowore is currently facing trial over allegations brought by the Department of State Services (DSS) in connection with a five-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime.
The charges reportedly arose from comments in which he described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”
Recall that in December, Justice Umar had initially granted Sowore bail on self-recognisance following his arraignment.
At the time, the court cautioned him against making statements capable of inciting the public against the President while the matter remained before the court.
However, the court revoked the bail on June 16 after Sowore failed to appear for the continuation of proceedings.
Justice Umar subsequently issued a bench warrant for his arrest after neither Sowore nor his legal representatives appeared physically before the court.
Prior to the hearing, Sowore had written to the court explaining that he would be unable to attend due to an earlier scheduled engagement in Lagos and requested an adjournment.
The prosecution team from the DSS, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), opposed the request and argued that the absence was a deliberate attempt to delay proceedings.
The prosecution thereafter applied orally for the revocation of the bail, an application which the court granted.
Following the issuance of the bench warrant, Sowore voluntarily appeared before the court on June 22, 2026, where he challenged the decision and sought the recusal of Justice Umar from the case.
The court dismissed the application for recusal and ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his fresh bail request.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the court approved his renewed bail application and ordered his release upon fulfilment of all conditions attached to the fresh bail.
