A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday warned that it may revoke the bail granted to activist and politician Omoyele Sowore if he fails to appear at the next hearing in his ongoing cyberstalking trial.
The presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, issued the warning after Sowore and his legal team were absent from court during the scheduled proceedings.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he made defamatory statements about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
At the hearing, prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) informed the court that the case was slated for the defence to conclude cross-examination of the prosecution’s first witness. However, neither the defendant nor any member of his legal team—said to number about 30 lawyers—appeared in court.
Kehinde told the court that records from the court registry showed that hearing notices had been duly served on Sowore through his lawyers. He argued that the absence of both the defendant and his counsel had no justification.
Relying on Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the prosecutor urged the court to revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant to compel his appearance.
In his ruling, Justice Umar confirmed that the hearing notice was properly served on the defence. However, he noted that Sowore had consistently attended previous sittings since the trial began late last year and that past adjournments had been requested by both parties.
The judge said the court would give the defendant the benefit of the doubt since it was his first absence in the matter.
He warned, however, that if Sowore fails to appear at the next hearing, the court would not hesitate to grant the prosecution’s request to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
The case was adjourned until March 16 for continuation of trial, with the court directing that another hearing notice be served on the defence.
