From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, warned Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, that he risks revocation of his bail and arrest if he fails to attend the next scheduled hearing in his ongoing trial over alleged defamatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu.
Justice Mohammed Umar, presiding over the case, issued the warning following an application by Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, representing the Department of State Services (DSS). Kehinde told the court that Sowore deliberately failed to appear in court despite being properly served with hearing notices through his legal team.
Sowore is being prosecuted for allegedly making false claims against President Tinubu, including referring to him as “a criminal” in posts on his X and Facebook accounts.
When Thursday’s hearing began, neither Sowore nor any of his lawyers were present.
Kehinde stressed that the defence offered no explanation for their absence and urged the court to revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his immediate production in court, citing Section 352(1)&(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Justice Umar noted that Sowore had consistently attended court sessions since the trial began late last year and that previous adjournments were granted at the request of both prosecution and defence. The judge, therefore, gave Sowore the benefit of the doubt for his first absence but emphasised that any further failure to appear would result in immediate enforcement of the prosecution’s request.
The court adjourned the matter to March 16, 2026, for the continuation of the trial and ordered that hearing notices be reissued to the defence.
