Justice Mohammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court has granted Omoyele Sowore bail on self-recognition, cautioning him against making any statements that could incite the public against President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a five-count charge related to alleged cybercrime. The charges accuse him of making derogatory remarks about President Tinubu on his social media platforms.
Upon arraignment, Sowore pleaded not guilty to all five counts. Earlier, his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, had challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction.
The prosecution, however, objected, noting that they had only just been served with the processes and required time to respond.
In a short ruling, Justice Umar held that the jurisdictional objection was not yet ready for hearing, as the prosecution had been served that morning. He directed that the charges be read to the defendant. After Sowore’s not-guilty plea, his counsel applied for bail on self-recognition.
The prosecution opposed the bail application, arguing that Sowore posed a flight risk. Nevertheless, Justice Umar granted bail on self-recognition and adjourned the trial to January 19, 2026.
Sowore had been initially charged by the DSS in September over his social media posts about President Tinubu.
In response, he filed a counter-suit against the DSS, Meta, and X, challenging what his lawyers described as “unconstitutional censorship” of his social media accounts.
His lawyer, Tope Temokun, emphasized that the case is fundamentally about the survival of free speech in Nigeria. “If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe; voices would be silenced at the whims of those in power,” Temokun said.
He further noted, “Censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy. Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression without interference. No security agency, regardless of its power, can suspend or delete those rights.”
