The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, following his absence from court in a cybercrime case filed against him by the Department of State Services.
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Justice Mohammed Umar issued the bench warrant on Tuesday after Sowore failed to appear for the opening of his defence in the two-count charge.
Sowore is standing trial over social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal.” The DSS alleged that the posts amounted to cyberstalking and were capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.
At the resumed proceedings, Sowore was absent from court, although he sent a letter explaining that he had travelled to Lagos to search for lawyers to represent him.
The defendant had earlier opted to represent himself after his legal team withdrew from the case.
Following an application by the DSS, Justice Umar revoked the bail earlier granted to Sowore and ordered his arrest.
Before the development, Sowore had filed an application asking the trial judge to recuse himself from the case and transmit the file to the Chief Judge for reassignment to another judge.
In the application, anchored on Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, Sowore accused Justice Umar of bias and referenced an incident in which his lawyer was allegedly ordered to kneel before the court.
He also claimed that his lawyers were discouraged from continuing with the matter because of the court’s decision to hear the case from day to day and what he described as the judge’s high-handedness.
“My lawyers indicated to me that they are afraid to appear before you and will no longer appear because of the humiliation they suffered before this court.
“Pending the time I am able to reconstitute a new legal team, I shall be representing myself before your lordship,” Sowore had said.
Sowore was arraigned on December 2, 2025, in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, and pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
The charges were brought under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The posts, dated August 25, 2025, were allegedly made in response to President Tinubu’s claim in Brazil that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Following the posts, the DSS reportedly wrote to X Inc., formerly Twitter, and Meta Platforms Inc., asking them to ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, requesting that he delete the posts from all platforms.
The DSS said Sowore’s refusal to comply led to the filing of the criminal charge.
The prosecution alleged that the posts were false, defamatory and intended to cause a breakdown of law and order while tarnishing the reputation of the President.
The exhibits listed by the prosecution include printouts of the posts and letters written by the DSS.
X Inc. and Meta were initially listed as co-defendants in the matter but were later removed from the amended charge.
With the revocation of Sowore’s bail and issuance of a bench warrant, the matter has taken a new turn as the court awaits his arrest and production for continuation of trial.
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