The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore bail in the sum of ₦200 million with two sureties in like sum.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Sowore to deposit his international passport.
Additionally, one of his sureties must be a traditional ruler from his home community, while the second surety must own a verified landed property within Abuja.
The ruling follows a morning of high tension at the court premises, where the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Correctional Service deployed a heavy contingent of armed security operatives.
Sowore, who is facing charges filed by the secret police over comments in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a criminal, had been in custody since June 22, 2026, under a remand order by Justice Mohammed Umar.
The security lockdown prior to the ruling drew widespread criticism as journalists were initially blocked from entering the courtroom to cover the high-profile proceedings. Armed personnel barricaded the entrance, leaving media personnel stranded in the foyer despite early assurances that they would be permitted inside before the court commenced its session.
“As I am chatting with you now, a few of us journalists are just standing by the foyer,” one journalist noted during the morning blockade.
Another reporter added, “We are not allowed to enter the courtroom. DSS and prison officers blocked the courtroom. The security is heavy, and they are preventing journalists from entering.”
