Court Remands Presidential Candidate Omoyele Sowore in Kuje Prison Over Alleged Cybercrime Charges

Court Remands Presidential Candidate Omoyele Sowore in Kuje Prison Over Alleged Cybercrime Charges

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre until Wednesday following the revocation of his bail. Justice Mohammed Garba Umar directed that the activist be kept in custody and produced before the court on the next adjourned date for a ruling on an application seeking the judge’s recusal from the case.  

Sowore is facing charges under Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act over social media posts in which he allegedly made false and defamatory claims against President Bola Tinubu. Earlier this year, the Federal Government amended the charges against him, reducing them from five counts to two, while removing Meta and X as co-defendants. Sowore has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The remand followed court proceedings after Sowore reportedly failed to appear for an earlier hearing. The judge ordered that he be held in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the court’s decision on his application asking the judge to step aside from the case.

He claims that some of his solicitors felt uneasy about the circumstances and decided to leave, leaving him to conduct his case on his own. Despite the mounting tensions surrounding the proceedings, Sowore insisted that the trial will proceed if Justice Umar declines to disqualify himself.

News of Sowore’s remand has gone viral both online and offline, with supporters mounting a demonstration outside the court, calling on the judge to drop the case and to reinstate his bail. The hashtag #FreeSowore has also resurfaced as supporters demand his release. While many described the remand as excessive, others insisted that the courts should be allowed to determine the case based on the evidence presented.