A Federal High Court in Abuja granted Omoyele Sowore bail of N200 million on Tuesday, reversing its earlier decision to revoke his bail and arrest him. Justice Mohammed Umar made the ruling on Sowore's application to stop the execution of the court's previous orders.
Sowore, who publishes Sahara Reporters and ran as the African Action Congress presidential candidate, had been remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre after missing trial. The judge's decision restored his bail conditions as the case proceeds.
The court set strict requirements for the bail. Two sureties must stand for him—one a traditional ruler from his community and the other a property owner in the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Umar said.
Sowore must also deposit his international passport with the court's deputy chief registrar. The prosecution was ordered to verify both sureties.
The case will return on July 6 for Sowore to present his defence. The judge had revoked his bail on June 16 after he failed to appear in court, prompting the Department of State Services to request a bench warrant for his arrest.
On June 22, the court ordered his detention pending his motion to challenge the bail revocation. The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over alleged defamatory comments about President Bola Tinubu made on social media, where he reportedly called the president "a criminal."
Before Tuesday's ruling, Sowore had asked the judge to recuse himself from the case, claiming bias. The court rejected this application.
