By Tolulope Oke

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, after he failed to appear in court for his ongoing cybercrime trial.

Sowore is standing trial on a two-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), bordering on alleged cyberstalking over a social media post in which he referred to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal”.

The activist was expected to open his defence on Tuesday, but failed to show up in court, despite informing the court in a letter that he had travelled to Lagos in search of new legal representation following the withdrawal of his lawyers.

Sowore had opted to represent himself after his legal team pulled out of the case.

At the resumed hearing, counsel to the DSS applied for his arrest following his absence. Justice Mohammed Umar subsequently revoked the bail earlier granted to him and issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

The court also noted that Sowore had previously sought the judge’s recusal from the matter, alleging bias and citing what he described as a humiliating experience involving his counsel during earlier proceedings.

In his application, filed under relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Sowore claimed his lawyers were unwilling to continue with the case due to fear of the court’s handling of proceedings, including the decision to fast-track the trial.

“My lawyers indicated to me that they are afraid to appear before you and will no longer appear because of the humiliation they suffered before this court,” he stated, adding that he would temporarily represent himself pending the constitution of a new legal team.

Sowore was first arraigned on December 2, 2025, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, where he pleaded not guilty.

The charges are brought under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b) and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.

According to the prosecution, the controversial posts were made on August 25, 2025, on Sowore’s verified accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, where he reacted to President Tinubu’s remarks in Brazil claiming that corruption had ended in Nigeria.

The DSS alleged that Sowore’s post, which described the President in harsh terms, was capable of causing a breakdown of law and order and posed a threat to public peace.

The agency also claimed it had earlier contacted X Corp and Meta Platforms Inc., demanding the removal of the posts and a restriction of Sowore’s accounts, while also asking the activist to delete the content.

The prosecution further alleged that failure to comply led to the filing of criminal charges against him.

Exhibits presented before the court reportedly include printouts of the social media posts and official correspondence from the DSS.

Originally, X Corp and Meta Platforms were listed as co-defendants, but were later removed from the amended charge.

The case has been adjourned to a later date for continuation of trial proceedings.

Source: PM News