The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday gave online publisher and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, until 4 p.m. to perfect the bail conditions earlier granted to him or be returned to the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Mohammed Umar issued the directive after counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, informed the court that Sowore had yet to comply with the conditions attached to his release.
Last Tuesday, the court admitted Sowore to bail in the sum of ₦200 million following his application for a stay of execution of the order revoking his earlier bail. The court directed him to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar and provide two sureties, one of whom must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the other must own landed property in Abuja. Both sureties are to be verified by the prosecution.
At Monday’s proceedings, which also marked the opening of the defence in the alleged cybercrime case, Kehinde urged the court to order Sowore’s immediate remand, arguing that the defendant had failed to comply with the bail conditions despite being granted several days to do so.
According to the DSS counsel, Sowore neither fulfilled the conditions nor applied for a variation of the bail terms, but instead used the period to grant television interviews.
“The defendant was released to his lawyer to retrieve and deposit his passport with the court. That has not been done, and the other bail conditions remain unmet. Court orders are meant to be obeyed. The consequence is that he should be remanded until the conditions are fulfilled,” Kehinde submitted.
Responding, Sowore’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, appealed for more time and assured the court that the international passport would be deposited before the close of business on Monday.
He explained that retrieving the passport from the American Embassy in Lagos had been delayed due to activities marking the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations.
After hearing both parties, Justice Umar granted Sowore until the close of work on Monday to perfect the bail conditions, warning that failure to do so would result in his immediate return to the Kuje Correctional Centre pending compliance.
