Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
ABUJA, Nigeria — Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has declared that neither the ₦200 million bail conditions imposed by a Federal High Court nor the seizure of his international passport will deter the movement he leads, vowing that the struggle for Nigeria's liberation remains unstoppable.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, restored Sowore's bail on fresh terms, requiring him to meet a ₦200 million bail bond with two sureties in like sum, including one traditional ruler from his community in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State and another with landed property in the Federal Capital Territory. The court also ordered that his international passport be deposited with the Deputy Chief Registrar for safekeeping.
The ruling came weeks after Justice Umar revoked Sowore's earlier bail on June 16, 2026, and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court for his trial on cybercrime charges. The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore over social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as "a criminal".
Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of the authorities' continued efforts to suppress him but insisted they would not deter his movement.
"There is no bus on earth that can stop this revolution. We warned them, but they would not listen. But now, it appears a little bit of common sense is returning to them, and as a result, I was granted bail, requiring a traditional ruler, somebody with property in Abuja, and N200m and my international passport," he said.
"They have always been after the passport. So nobody can come after our movement. Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come," Sowore added.
"What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people," he declared.
Before granting bail, Justice Umar dismissed Sowore's application seeking the judge's recusal from the case on grounds of alleged bias. The court also rejected an appeal by Sowore's counsel, R.O. Adakole, to release the activist to enable him to retrieve his passport from the US embassy in Lagos.
The case has been adjourned to Monday, July 6, 2026, for the continuation of hearing, when Sowore is expected to open his defence.
The bail conditions imposed by the court require Sowore to produce two sureties, one of whom must be a traditional ruler from his community in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory. The sureties must be verified by the prosecution counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Additionally, Sowore is required to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court pending the determination of the case.
Sowore was remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre on June 16, 2026, after Justice Umar revoked his earlier bail, which had been granted on "self-recognition" last December.
The DSS is prosecuting Sowore over alleged criminal defamation arising from claims that he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a "criminal" in posts made on his official X and Facebook accounts. The charges, which Sowore has denied, are brought under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Sowore's legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge, but he secured a new lawyer who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
As Sowore and his supporters continue to press forward, his defiant words serve as a reminder that for him, the fight is far from over — and that he intends to keep leading it, regardless of the conditions placed upon his freedom.
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