By Richard Benjamin
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to remand the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, for allegedly failing to comply with the conditions attached to his bail.
The application was made by DSS counsel, Mr Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), before Justice Mohammed Umar during the resumed hearing of the case. Kehinde told the court that Sowore had yet to fulfil the bail conditions imposed on June 30, including depositing his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court and providing the two required sureties.
He argued that the defendant’s continued release without meeting the conditions was contrary to the court’s order and urged the court to remand him pending compliance. Earlier in the proceedings, Sowore opened his defence by calling his first witness, lawyer and activist Mr Deji Adeyanju.
The defence tendered video recordings stored on a flash drive, along with a certificate of compliance, before seeking an adjournment to enable the court to view the evidence. Responding to the DSS application, Sowore’s counsel, Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), urged the court to exercise patience, arguing that the process of perfecting the bail conditions was ongoing.
He maintained that the conditions had substantially been met and that verification by the court was still in progress. After hearing both parties, Justice Umar said he would wait until the close of business on Monday to assess the steps taken by the defence before deciding whether to grant the DSS request for Sowore’s remand.
The court adjourned further proceedings until July 13. Justice Umar had on June 30 admitted Sowore to bail in the sum of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum. The court directed that one surety must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community in Ondo State, while the other must own landed property in Abuja.
The court also ordered him to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar. Sowore’s earlier bail was revoked after he failed to appear for his trial on June 16.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over alleged cybercrime offences arising from social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”
