The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of online publisher and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, following his failure to appear in court as a defendant in the ongoing alleged criminal defamation suit brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre and brought before him on the next adjourned date being June 22, 2026 for ruling on the application he filed for recusal.
The judge had last December granted the politician bail based on self-recognition. He had at the time declined a request by counsel to the DSS, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to issue an arrest warrant after Sowore and his lawyer failed to appear in court for trial.
However, at the resumption of trial on Tuesday, neither Sowore nor his lawyer was present in court. This prompted counsel to the prosecution to apply to the court for a revocation of the bail and the issuance of a bench warrant. The prosecution described Sowore’s absence as “delay tactics”.
The DSS had filed a five-count charge against Sowore over social media posts in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal”. Efforts by the secret police to make him pull down
