The Federal High Court in Abuja has revoked the bail of activist and politician Omoyele Sowore after he failed to appear for proceedings in an ongoing cybercrime trial brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Mohammed Umar, who also ordered the issuance of a bench warrant following Sowore’s absence from court alongside his legal representative, Marshall Abubakar.
During the session, counsel to the DSS informed the court that Sowore was aware of the hearing but did not attend. The prosecution argued that his absence formed part of repeated attempts to delay the trial and urged the court to revoke his bail.
Justice Umar noted that although a letter requesting adjournment had been submitted, it did not provide any explanation for the request. On that basis, the court revoked the bail and adjourned the case to 22 June for further hearing.
The case stems from a post made on X in August 2025 in which Sowore referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” while reacting to remarks made during a foreign trip. He is facing a two-count charge filed by the DSS.
Sowore has pleaded not guilty. After the prosecution closed its case, he filed a no-case submission, which was dismissed by the court in May. The judge ruled that the DSS had established a prima facie case requiring him to enter a defence.
Following the ruling, Sowore accused the court of bias and filed an application seeking reassignment of the case to another judge through the chief judge. On 4 June, the court ordered him to open his defence.
