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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Sahara Reporters publisher and activist Omoyele Sowore over his absence from proceedings in which he faces cyberbullying charges for calling President Bola Tinubu “a criminal” in social media posts last year.
The judge, Mohammed Umar, in a ruling on an oral application by the prosecution lawyer, Akinkolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), also issued a bench warrant for Mr Sowore’s arrest.
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The prosecution has since concluded its case after presenting its sole witness and is left for Mr Sowore to open his defence. But proceedings have stalled over Mr Sowore’s challenge to the entire trial and the judge’s impartiality.
Mr Sowore initially filed a no-case submission, urging the judge to dismiss the charges on the grounds that the prosecution failed to link him to the alleged offences with any credible evidence it presented to the court.
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On 8 May, the judge threw out the application, ruling that a prima facie case had been established against Mr Sowore, and directed him to open his defence.
On 20 May, he refused to enter his defence as ordered by the judge.
His lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, told the court at the time that Mr Sowore personally wrote the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, seeking reassignment of the case on the grounds of Mr Umar’s alleged bias against the defence.
On 5 June, set for Sowore to open his defence, Mr Sowore, a two-time presidential candidate gearing up to run again for the presidency against Mr Tinubu in 2027, insisted that the trial judge must withdraw from the case.
He told the judge that his legal team said they were afraid to appear before him, so he would be representing himself.
However, the prosecution led by Mr Kehinde urged the court to refuse the application for recusal in its totality, describing it as an abuse of the court process.
Responding, Mr Sowore said, considering that he was now representing himself, he needed time to prepare and get lawyers.
After a series of back-and-forth arguments, the judge agreed with Mr Sowore and adjourned the matter till 15 June to rule on the withdrawal application.
Mr Sowore was in court on Monday and ready to represent himself.
However, the judge’s courtroom, which on the first floor of the complex, had changed to the fourth floor, but the judge did not appear.
At about 11:45 a.m., a court official apologised to the court audience that the judge would no longer sit, noting that other officials needed to offer support roles during proceedings were deployed to assist judges presiding over the mass terrorism trials going on in other courtrooms within the complex.
He said the case was adjourned till Tuesday.
PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier on Monday the commencement of the mass arraignment of more than 400 terrorism suspects before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with proceedings taking place across multiple courtrooms in the court complex.
Immediately the court official made the announcement, Mr Sowore told him that he would not be available on Tuesday as he would be going to Lagos to constitute his legal team.
A letter obtained from Mr Sowore’s X handle on Tuesday and dated 15 June also indicated that he later wrote to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court for a change of date.
In the letter, copied to the prosecution lawyer, Mr Kehinde, Mr Sowore explained that despite being in court on Monday (15 June) from 8:20 a.m. to 11:57 a.m., “he was informed the court would not sit, without prior notice.”
He therefore applied for a new date, suggesting several options in July and September.
The letter also requested that the correspondence be brought to the attention of the trial judge.
ALSO READ: Sowore refuses to open defence, insists on judge’s withdrawal from cyberbullying trial
Order for arrest
The judge sat on Tuesday, nothwithstanding Mr Sowore letter. But Mr Sowore was absent. No lawyer was also in court to represent him.
Mr Umar was then informed that the defendant had sent a letter seeking adjournment of the matter.
But responding, the SSS lawyer opposed the application for adjournment.
Mr Kehinde argued that there was no cogent reason adduced by the defendant for the application.
He therefore prayed the court to revoke his bail and issue a bench warrant for his arrest, which the judge granted.
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