Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has cautioned politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore that his bail could be revoked if he fails to appear at the next hearing in his ongoing cybercrime trial.
The warning came on Thursday after Sowore was absent from court, along with his legal team, reportedly numbering about 30 lawyers.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly posting false claims against President Bola Tinubu on his social media accounts, referring to him as a criminal.
During the hearing, prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN) informed the court that the defence was expected to conclude its cross-examination of the first prosecution witness. Kehinde added that both the defendant and his lawyers had been duly served with a hearing notice, but offered no explanation for their absence.
Citing Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), the prosecution urged the court to revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
In response, Justice Umar acknowledged that Sowore had been properly served and noted that he had consistently attended previous court proceedings since the trial began late last year. The judge observed that past adjournments had been requested by both the prosecution and the defence.
Granting Sowore the benefit of the doubt, Justice Umar declined to revoke his bail at this stage, but issued a stern warning: failure to appear at the next hearing would prompt the court to revoke bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
The trial was adjourned to March 16, with the court directing that a fresh hearing notice be issued to the defence to ensure proper notification.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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