Sowore kicks as court grants him N10m bail, orders passport surrender

Justice Musa Suleiman Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), in the sum of N10 million with one surety of the same amount.

The court ruled that the surety must own verified landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and ordered Sowore to surrender his passport while also providing an affidavit of means.

Sowore is facing 16 cybercrime charges filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun after he referred to the police chief as an “Illegal IG.”

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The activist was detained at the Nigerian Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja on Monday after voluntarily honoring a police invitation. His detention followed his refusal to accept the bail conditions set by the police.

Reacting to the court’s decision, Sowore strongly condemned the passport seizure, describing it as an abuse of his fundamental rights.
Speaking at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, he said:

“I am an international citizen as well, and a passport is not the property of the police or the judiciary. These are all abuses visited on us as citizens.”

Sowore, whose family resides in the U.S., argued that restricting his movement affects not just him but his loved ones.

“Restricting me to Nigeria by seizing my passport is not just targeting me as a person. You are targeting my integrity, my dignity, my family, and my very existence,” he said.

He accused the government of trying to suppress his ability to earn a livelihood, referencing his ongoing legal battles since 2019.

“They want to force me to become a kidnapper. I’m not going to become a criminal because they didn’t want me to work for five years, from 2019 to 2025, when they withdrew their stupid treason charge from this same court,” he said.

Sowore also raised concerns over what he described as a pattern in his prosecution.