Justice Mohammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court on Tuesday approved bail for Omoyele Sowore on self-recognition and cautioned him to avoid making any statements capable of stirring public hostility against President Tinubu.
Sowore’s bail came shortly after he was arraigned by the Department of State Services on a five-count charge related to alleged cybercrime.
According to the charges, Sowore is accused of posting comments deemed derogatory toward President Tinubu on his social media accounts.
Sowore, the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, entered a plea of not guilty after the court read the charges to him.
Earlier, his lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, had challenged the legality of the suit, insisting the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it.
The prosecution countered, noting they had only just been served and required additional time to file a response.
Justice Umar ruled that the jurisdictional objection could not be heard immediately because the prosecution needed sufficient time to file a counter-affidavit. He then ordered that the charges be read to the defendant.
Following Sowore’s not-guilty plea, his counsel requested bail on self-recognition.
The prosecution argued against the request, asserting that Sowore might attempt to evade trial.
Justice Umar ultimately granted the bail request and scheduled the trial for January 19, 2026.
After the DSS filed the cybercrime case in September over his posts about Tinubu, Sowore filed a countersuit against the DSS, Meta, and X, describing the action as a fight against “unconstitutional censorship” of his social media accounts.
His lawyer, Tope Temokun, emphasized that the lawsuit underscores the struggle to protect free expression in Nigeria, arguing that “if state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe.”
He added that “Censorship of political criticism is alien to democracy,” and that Section 39 of the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to free expression without interference.
What you should know
Sowore faces cybercrime charges over alleged derogatory posts about President Tinubu but secured bail on self-recognition.
His counter-suit challenges what he terms unconstitutional censorship.
The court has set January 19, 2026, for trial as the case revives national debates on freedom of expression, social media regulation, and political criticism.
