ABUJA: The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday threatened to revoke the bail granted to Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, following his absence in court in his ongoing trial over alleged defamatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu.
Justice Mohammed Umar issued the warning after an application by counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN).
Kehinde told the court that Sowore deliberately failed to attend proceedings despite evidence that hearing notice had been served on him through his team of lawyers.
Sowore, who is also a politician, is being prosecuted by the DSS for allegedly making false claims against President Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in posts on his X and Facebook accounts.
When the matter was called on Thursday, neither Sowore nor any member of his legal team was present in court.
Reacting, Kehinde said the defence was expected to conclude the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.
He informed the court that the registry confirmed that hearing notices were served on both the prosecution and the defendant through his lawyers.
The senior lawyer added that no explanation was provided for the defendant’s absence, noting that his legal team comprised about 30 lawyers, none of whom appeared in court.
Citing Section 352(1) and (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, Kehinde urged the court to revoke Sowore’s bail and issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
In his ruling, Justice Umar confirmed that Sowore was duly served with hearing notice through his lawyers but observed that the defendant had consistently attended court since the trial began late last year.
The judge also noted that previous adjournments had been granted at the instance of both the prosecution and the defence.
He therefore said the defendant should be given the benefit of the doubt since it was his first absence from trial.
However, the judge warned that if Sowore failed to appear at the next hearing, the court would not hesitate to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
The matter was adjourned until March 16 for continuation of trial, while the court ordered that fresh hearing notice be served on the defence.
