Alleged criminal defamation: Sowore gets fresh N200m bail

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted a fresh N200 million bail to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and online publisher, Omoyele Sowore. In a ruling yesterday, Justice Mohammed Umar ordered him to produce two sureties, one of whom must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. The second surety, the judge ordered, must have landed property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The judge also ordered that both sureties must be verified by the prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN). He directed Sowore to surrender his international passport to the court’s Deputy Registrar for safekeeping. Shortly after the judge’s ruling, Sowore’s lawyer, R. O. Adakole, appealed to the judge to release Sowore to him to enable him get his passport from the U.S. Embassy in Lagos, a request the judge granted. Related News UPDATED: Alleged criminal defamation: Sowore gets fresh N200m bail JUST IN: Court grants Sowore ₦200m bail over alleged cybercrime charges Court fixes June 30 for ruling on Sowore’s bail application Justice Umar adjourned till July 6 for Sowore to open his defence. READ ALSO; When Naira falls, Nigerians pay The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore for alleged criminal defamation arising from claims that he referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “criminal” in posts he made on his official X and Facebook accounts. Justice Umar had, on June 16, revoked the bail earlier granted Sowore on self-recognition, following his absence in court. The judge also issued a bench warrant for the politician’s arrest after he failed to appear in court for his trial on allegations bordering on cybercrime and criminal defamation. When he appeared in court on June 24, Justice Umar ordered that Sowore be kept in the Kuje Correctional Centre until his motion for a stay of the execution of the order for the revocation of his bail and bench warrant was heard and determined. The judge dismissed the defendant’s other application in which he urged the judge to recuse himself for the case on grounds of alleged bias. --> --> TAGS: Sowore