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BREAKING: Court Remands Sowore In Kuje Prison As Judge Rejects Fresh Recusal Application
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Sowore’s remand on Monday during proceedings in the ongoing trial linked to comments the activist made against President Bola Tinubu.
Abuja, Nigeria– Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja until Wednesday after a Federal High Court revoked his bail.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Sowore’s remand on Monday during proceedings in the ongoing trial linked to comments the activist made against President Bola Tinubu.
The court also dismissed a fresh application filed by Sowore seeking the recusal of Justice Umar from the case over alleged bias and hostility.
Sowore is currently facing charges instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over public remarks in which he described President Tinubu as a “criminal,” allegations he has repeatedly denied.
The activist had earlier renewed calls for Justice Umar to withdraw from the matter, insisting that the judge could no longer guarantee him a fair hearing.
According to Sowore, members of his legal team had stopped appearing before the court because of what they described as persistent hostility and unfair treatment from the bench.
Following Monday’s proceedings, Sowore disclosed in a post on X that he was compelled to represent himself in court after his lawyers withdrew from active participation in the case.
“Soon after today’s court hearing at the Federal High Court, where I represented myself because my lawyers had decided they could no longer appear before Justice M.G. Umar due to what they described as persistent maltreatment, I personally moved a motion asking the judge, once again, to recuse himself from the case,” Sowore wrote.
Despite the application, Justice Umar declined to step down and subsequently ordered that Sowore be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the continuation of proceedings on Wednesday.
The development has already stirred concerns among civil rights advocates and supporters of the activist, many of whom accuse the Federal Government of using state institutions to intimidate dissenting voices.
Sowore, a longtime government critic and publisher of SaharaReporters, has faced multiple arrests and prosecutions over his activism and outspoken criticism of successive Nigerian administrations.
