By

Arinze Izik

ABUJA — The Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to order the remand of Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), over alleged failure to meet conditions attached to his bail.

DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, made the oral request before Justice Mohammed Umar, who later adjourned the case to July 13.

Earlier in the proceedings, Sowore began his defence by presenting his first witness, activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju.

Led by defence counsel Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, Adeyanju tendered video recordings on a flash drive and a certificate of compliance as part of Sowore’s evidence. Olumide-Fusika then applied for an adjournment to allow the videos to be played at the next hearing.

Immediately after, Kehinde drew the court’s attention to the subsisting bail order granted to Sowore. He told the judge that none of the bail conditions had been met.

“We urge your lordship to issue the necessary order for the remand of the defendant pending fulfillment of the bail terms,” Kehinde submitted.

He explained that Sowore, who was released to a lawyer at the last sitting pending perfection of bail, had not deposited his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar, had not produced a traditional ruler from his community as a surety, and had not presented a second surety who owns landed property in Abuja, as directed by the court.

According to him, the defence had also not informed the prosecution whether the passport had been released to the DCR.

The senior lawyer argued that court orders “are not made in vain” and must be obeyed.

In response, Olumide-Fusika pleaded with the court to be patient, stating that efforts were ongoing to perfect the bail conditions.

“It is not correct that the conditions have not been met. Once bail conditions are met, the court still has to verify them, and that process is ongoing, my lord,” he said.

After hearing both sides, Justice Umar said while Sowore’s release warrant was signed at the last sitting, he would hold off on issuing a remand order until the close of work to see what steps the defence had taken.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that on June 30, Justice Umar granted Sowore N200 million bail with two sureties in the same amount. One surety must be a traditional ruler from Sowore’s community and the other must own property in Abuja. The court also ordered him to surrender his travel documents to the Deputy Chief Registrar, among other conditions.

Sowore’s potential bail revocation followed his absence from court for his trial on June 16.

The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over allegations that he made false statements against President Bola Tinubu by describing him as “a criminal” in posts on X and Facebook.