Human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner, and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. This follows the revocation of his bail and the subsequent rejection of his application seeking the recusal of the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, from his ongoing case.
​The political activist, who is facing a two-count cyberbullying charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS), was remanded following the execution of a bench warrant issued for his arrest.
​The legal setback intensified after Justice Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, rejected a formal request by Sowore demanding that the judge recuse himself from the trial. Sowore had previously accused the trial judge of bias and institutional collaboration with the prosecution, prompting him to write to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to reassign the case.
​However, the prosecution, led by Kehinde Akinlolu, SAN, vehemently opposed the recusal bid, labeling it an abuse of court process and a deliberate tactic to stall the trial.
​The court sided with the prosecution, dismissing the application. This development directly followed the court’s earlier decision to revoke Sowore’s bail after he failed to appear for a scheduled hearing. While Sowore’s team argued that he had formally requested an adjournment via a letter to the Deputy Chief Registrar due to a sudden logistical change by the court complex, Justice Umar ruled that the defense failed to provide a cogent justification for his absence.
​”The defendant has consistently attempted to delay entering his defense despite the prosecution closing its case. The law must take its course,” the prosecution argued during the heated application for the bench warrant.
​The remand of the two-time presidential candidate has sparked swift condemnation from local and international human rights organizations.
Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the judicial action, describing the bail revocation and subsequent detention as a “deeply troubling development” aimed at silencing peaceful dissent. The group maintained that the charges stemming from a social media post where Sowore allegedly criticized President Bola Tinubu, are heavily protected under constitutional free speech guarantees.
SERAP (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) raised alarms over a growing pattern of using state machinery and the judiciary to target journalists and critics, warning that such measures undermine democratic accountability and the rule of law.
​Sowore had previously filed a “no-case submission,” arguing that the DSS failed to establish a prima facie case against him regarding the alleged cyberbullying infraction. The court dismissed that application in May, ordering him to open his defense; a directive the activist resisted, citing a lack of confidence in the court’s neutrality.
​With the trial judge refusing to step down and the activist now behind bars at Kuje prison, the legal standoff is expected to escalate as defense attorneys scramble to file emergency applications for his release and bail reinstatement.
By Darlington Onedibe
