Sowore arrest warrant issued by Federal High Court after activist failed to appear in Abuja for proceedings in his cyberbullying trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore after he failed to appear for proceedings in a cyberbullying case arising from social media posts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a criminal.

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Justice Mohammed Umar issued a bench warrant for Sowore’s arrest on Tuesday following an oral application by prosecution counsel, Akinkolu Kehinde.

The Sowore Arrest Warrant was granted after the court was informed that the defendant was absent and had no legal representative present during the proceedings.

The prosecution has already closed its case after presenting its sole witness and had been awaiting the commencement of the defence.

The case has experienced several delays following challenges raised by Sowore regarding the conduct of the trial and allegations of judicial bias.

Earlier in the proceedings, the activist filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish any credible link between him and the alleged offences.

However, the court dismissed the application on May 8, ruling that a prima facie case had been established and directing him to open his defence.

Subsequently, Sowore sought the reassignment of the case, alleging bias on the part of the trial judge.

His legal team informed the court that a petition had been submitted to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court requesting a transfer of the matter.

When the case came up on June 5, Sowore insisted that the judge should recuse himself from the proceedings.

He also informed the court that he would represent himself after claiming that members of his legal team were unwilling to continue appearing before the judge.

Following arguments from both parties, the court adjourned the matter to June 15 for a ruling on the recusal request.

On June 15, Sowore attended court but proceedings did not hold after court officials announced that the judge would not sit due to logistical demands associated with ongoing mass terrorism trials being conducted in multiple courtrooms within the Federal High Court complex.

According to a letter later shared by Sowore, he subsequently wrote to the Deputy Chief Registrar requesting a new hearing date and proposing alternative dates in July and September.

He stated that he had remained at the court premises for several hours before learning that the sitting had been cancelled.

Despite the correspondence, the court reconvened on Tuesday. The prosecution opposed the request for adjournment, arguing that no sufficient grounds had been presented to justify the defendant’s absence.

Kehinde consequently urged the court to revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his arrest.

Justice Umar agreed with the application and ordered the arrest of the activist, marking a significant development in the ongoing cyberbullying prosecution.