BREAKING: Court grants Sowore N10 million bail in cybercrime case

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, bail set at N10 million in connection to alleged cybercrime charges filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Presiding over the case, Justice Musa Liman ruled on Thursday that Sowore must deposit his international passport with the court as part of his bail conditions.

Sowore, who pleaded not guilty to all 16 amended charges brought against him, was arraigned earlier in the week. The charges stem from alleged derogatory remarks he made about the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, on social media.

According to the prosecution, Sowore referred to Egbetokun as an “illegal IG of the Nigeria Police Force” and accused the country’s leadership of “mediocrity, incompetence, and corruption.”

His lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, argued that Sowore had honored police invitations voluntarily and had previously been granted administrative bail, reinforcing his case for a liberal bail condition.

However, the prosecution opposed the bail request, claiming that Sowore had “cronies” who could influence the case. The judge dismissed this argument, stating that the police failed to prove any link between Sowore and alleged external interference.

Justice Liman ruled that Sowore is entitled to bail unless there are strong reasons to deny it. The conditions set include:

• N10 million bail bond with one surety in like sum.
• Surety must be a Nigerian citizen with property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
• International passport to be deposited with the court.

Following the ruling, Sowore’s legal team requested that he be released temporarily while meeting the bail conditions. The judge granted a 24-hour window for him to remain with his lawyers.

The case has been adjourned to April 8, 2025.