The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the remand of African Action Congress presidential candidate and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application seeking a stay of the order revoking his bail and directing his arrest.Justice Mohammed Umar gave the order shortly after dismissing Sowore’s application asking the judge to recuse himself from the case on grounds of alleged bias.
In a brief ruling, Justice Umar rejected the recusal application and ordered that Sowore be kept in the correctional centre pending the hearing and determination of his motion for stay of execution of the earlier orders revoking his bail and issuing a bench warrant against him.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until Wednesday, June 24, 2026, for hearing of the stay application filed by Sowore’s new counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN.
Sowore, who arrived at the court in company of some of his supporters carrying placards, had been ordered arrested after the court revoked the bail earlier granted to him.
Justice Umar had, on June 16, 2026, revoked Sowore’s bail following his failure to appear in court for his trial. The order was made after an oral application by counsel to the Department of State Services, Akinkolu Kehinde, SAN, who also urged the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore on charges bordering on alleged criminal defamation and cybercrime over social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal” on his X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook accounts.
The proceedings have continued to attract public attention, particularly over questions relating to free speech, political expression and the legal limits of online commentary.
The court is expected to resume proceedings on June 24, 2026, when arguments will be taken on Sowore’s application seeking to stay the orders revoking his bail and authorising his arrest.