The arraignment of activist Omoyele Sowore has once again been postponed, as Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned the case to December 2.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), urged the court to issue a bench warrant against Sowore for failing to appear and take his plea despite allegedly being served with both the charges and a hearing notice from the previous sitting.
Kehinde described Sowore’s absence as “an affront to the sanctity of the court,” arguing that such conduct should not go unpunished. He asked the court to exercise its inherent powers to order Sowore’s arrest.
Justice Umar, however, declined to issue the bench warrant, noting that the second defendant, X Corporation, informed the court they had not been served the charge sheet, even though they acknowledged receipt of the hearing notice.
The judge subsequently directed that all parties be properly served and adjourned the matter to December 2 for arraignment.
Earlier in the proceedings, Kehinde drew the court’s attention to a letter written by activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju seeking an adjournment in the case—a request the DSS counsel described as a deliberate attempt to delay proceedings.
Meta (Facebook) Incorporation, represented by its lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), supported the prosecution’s request for a bench warrant. Oyetibo told the court that Sowore had accused the company of siding with the DSS and described the letter requesting adjournment as a “distraction,” insisting that the defendant was fully aware of his obligations.
After hearing arguments from all parties, Justice Umar ordered that a hearing notice and charge sheet be duly served on all defendants and fixed December 2 for arraignment.
What you should know
Omoyele Sowore, a prominent activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, has faced several legal battles with Nigerian authorities since his 2019 arrest for organizing the “#RevolutionNow” protest.
His ongoing case involves allegations of incitement and conspiracy. The latest adjournment marks another delay in a trial that has drawn both local and international attention over issues of human rights and press freedom in Nigeria.
