The State Security Service (SSS) on Monday prayed the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, to order the remand of Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), over his alleged failure to fulfil the earlier bail terms.

The SSS lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, made the oral application before Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the day’s proceedings until July 13.

Earlier, Mr Sowore opened his defence by calling his first defence witness, Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer and an activist.

Mr Adeyanju, who was led in evidence-in-chief by the defence lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, tendered video recordings on a flash drive and a certificate of compliance in Mr Sowore’s defence.

Mr Olumide-Fusika then sought an adjournment to enable them to play the video recordings on the next adjourned date.

Shortly after the application, Mr Kehinde reminded the court of a subsisting court order for Mr Sowore’s bail.

The senior lawyer informed the court that the defendant had yet to fulfil any of the bail conditions made by the court.

“We urge your lordship to make a necessary order for the remand of the defendant until the bail conditions are met,” he said.

Mr Kehinde said Mr Sowore, who was released to a lawyer who appeared for him on the last adjourned date pending his fulfilment of the bail terms, was yet to meet the conditions.

He said the defendant had not deposited his passport with the deputy chief registrar of the court, had not produced a traditional ruler from his community as surety, nor produced another surety who has a landed property in Abuja, as ordered by the court.

According to him, the defendant has not communicated to us whether that passport has been released to DCR.

The lawyer, who argued that the court order cannot be toyed with, said such orders are not made in vain.

However, Mr Olumide-Fusika begged the court to exercise patience as the processes to perfect the bail terms were ongoing.

“It is incorrect that the conditions have not been met. When you meet a bail condition, the verification will have to be made by the court, and this is ongoing, my Lord,” he said.

After both lawyers’ submissions, Justice Umar held that although Mr Sowore’s release order was signed on the last adjourned date, he would wait until the close of work to see what steps the defence had taken before making the order for Mr Sowore’s remand.

Justice Umar had, on June 30, admitted Mr Sowore to a N200 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.

The judge, who ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from Mr Sowore’s community, held that the other must be a landowner in Abuja.

He was also ordered to submit his travel document to the deputy chief registrar of the court, among other conditions.

Mr Sowore’s bail revocation followed his failure to appear in court for his trial on June 16.

The SSS is prosecuting Mr Sowore for allegedly making false claims against President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as “a criminal” in a post he made on his X and Facebook accounts.

(NAN)