Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to reverse the revocation of bail granted to Sahara Reporters Publisher and Activist, Omoyele Sowore, warning that the development threatens his rights to liberty, fair trial and freedom of expression.
In a statement issued on Friday, the rights group said the Federal HighCourt in Abuja’s decision to order Sowore’s arrest was deeply troubling and risked undermining the fundamental rights guaranteed under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as well as the country’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar revoked Sowore’s bail on Tuesday and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after neither Sowore nor his lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, appealed in court for the resumption of trial.
Counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), which is prosecuting Sowore told the court that the activist was aware of the hearing date and accused him of using repeated absences as a delay tactic.
The judge noted that although Sowore had written seeking adjournment the letter did not state a reason for the request and granted the prosecution’s application to revoke bail.
Sowore has since disputed the judge’s account, saying on social media that he was in court the previous day when the judge himself was absent and that he had only sought a new date as a result. He described the revocation of the bail as an attempt by the judge to assert forceful control over the proceedings.
The court ordered that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre and produced before it on June 22, 2026, it is expected to rule on a separate application by Sowore seeking the judge’s recusal over allegations of bias.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the DSS on charges connected to social media posts in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a criminal reportedly made in reaction to comments Tinubu made on corruption during a trip to Brazil last year. He had pleaded guilty.
However, Amnesty International said the case against Sowore is tied to his peaceful expression of opinion and criticism of a public official, both of which it said are protected under Nigerian and International law. It argued that any restriction on these rights must be lawful, necessary and proportionate, and must never be used to silence criticism or suppress dissent.
The organisation said the use of criminal proceedings or restrictive bail conditions to punish legitimate expression creates a chilling effect that discourages others from speaking out and weakens civil space. It therefore called on Nigerian authorities to immediately drop the charges against Sowore, comply fully with International Fair Trial Standards and refrain from using the judicial process to intimidate or silence journalists, activists, and government critics.
