Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted bail to Omoyele Sowore on self-recognition, warning him against making statements capable of inciting the public against President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore was arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a five-count charge related to alleged cybercrime, including accusations that he made derogatory posts about President Tinubu on his social media platforms.
The #RevolutionNow convener pleaded not guilty to all charges after they were read to him.
Before the plea was taken, Sowore’s counsel, Marshall Abubakar, challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction. The prosecution objected, noting they had only just been served with the defence’s processes and needed time to respond.
In a brief ruling, Justice Umar held that the jurisdictional objection was not ripe for hearing since the prosecution was only served that morning. He ruled that they must be given adequate time to file a counter-affidavit, after which he ordered the charges to be read to the defendant.
Following his not-guilty plea, Sowore’s counsel applied for bail on self-recognition, but the prosecution opposed it, insisting that he was a flight risk.
Justice Umar eventually granted the bail request and adjourned the case to January 19, 2026, for trial.
The DSS had earlier filed the case in September over Sowore’s social media posts about Tinubu. In response, Sowore filed a counter-suit against the DSS, Meta, and X, challenging what his lawyers described as “unconstitutional censorship” of his accounts.
His lawyer, Tope Temokun, argued that the lawsuits were aimed at defending free speech in Nigeria, stating:
“This is about the survival of free expression. If state agencies can dictate to global platforms who may speak and what may be said, then no Nigerian is safe—their voices can be silenced at the whims of those in power.”
He added that censorship of political criticism is incompatible with democracy, noting that Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and that no security agency can suspend or abridge those rights
