Court Remands Sowore in Kuje Prison, Rejects Bid for Judge’s Recusal

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of AAC presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of an application challenging an earlier court order revoking his bail.

Justice Mohammed Umar delivered the ruling on Monday after dismissing an application by Sowore seeking the judge’s recusal from the case over allegations of bias.

Following the dismissal of the application, the court directed that Sowore be remanded in custody while awaiting the hearing of his motion for a stay of execution of the order that revoked his bail and led to the issuance of a bench warrant for his arrest.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to June 24, 2026, for hearing of the stay application filed by Sowore’s new counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN).

Sowore arrived at the court premises accompanied by supporters who carried placards in a show of solidarity.

Justice Umar had, on June 16, 2026, revoked Sowore’s bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear before the court. The decision followed an oral application by counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinkolu Kehinde (SAN).

The DSS is prosecuting Sowore on charges bordering on criminal defamation and alleged cybercrime. The charges stem from social media posts on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”

The case has continued to generate widespread public attention, with civil society groups, political observers and legal analysts closely monitoring developments amid ongoing debates about free speech, cybercrime laws and political expression in Nigeria.

The court is expected to hear arguments on Sowore’s application for a stay of execution when proceedings resume on Wednesday.