Sowore Escapes Arrest Warrant After Missing Court Hearing

Sowore Escapes Arrest Warrant After Missing Court Hearing.
DSS, Meta urge court to issue bench warrant, judge declines.
Case adjourned to December 2 for proper arraignment of all defendants.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Wednesday narrowly avoided a bench warrant for his arrest after failing to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja for his arraignment on alleged defamation charges.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Sowore, along with social media giants “𝕏” (formerly Twitter) and Meta Corporation (Facebook), is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” on social media platforms.

During the resumed hearing, DSS counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), urged Justice Mohammed Umar to issue a bench warrant against Sowore, accusing him of showing “deliberate disregard” for the court. “The defendant has been served with the charges and hearing notice since the last adjourned date. Staying away from court despite this is an affront to the sanctity of the judiciary,” Kehinde stated.

He also noted that no lawyer represented Sowore in court, calling the absence “disturbing and unacceptable.” Kehinde urged the judge to exercise his power to order Sowore’s arrest, alleging that a letter requesting adjournment from human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju was simply a tactic to delay justice.

Supporting the DSS, Meta’s counsel, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), said Sowore had wrongfully accused the company of “siding with the DSS” and described the adjournment request as a distraction.

However, Justice Umar declined to issue the arrest order, citing procedural lapses in the service of court documents. He noted that “𝕏” Corporation had not been formally served with the charge sheet, though it had received a hearing notice.

“The court will not proceed until it is satisfied that all parties have been duly served with the necessary documents,” Justice Umar ruled.

The judge adjourned the case to December 2, 2025, for proper arraignment and directed that all defendants, including Sowore, be served with the charge sheets and hearing notices before the next sitting.