There was tension at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday as operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, into custody after a judge ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The incident occurred shortly after Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that Sowore should remain in custody until Wednesday pending the hearing of his application seeking a stay of the order revoking his bail and issuing a bench warrant against him.
Video footage from the courtroom showed heavily armed DSS operatives surrounding the activist and escorting him away moments after the ruling.
The court’s decision followed allegations by the DSS that Sowore made defamatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu, including referring to him as “a criminal” in posts shared on his social media accounts.
Earlier in the proceedings, Justice Umar dismissed an application in which Sowore sought the judge’s withdrawal from the case over claims of bias.
The defence team, however, argued that the bail revocation was unjustified, explaining that Sowore’s absence at an earlier hearing was due to consultations with his new lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, who had formally notified the court of the arrangement.
Despite the arguments, the court maintained its position and ordered that Sowore be remanded pending the determination of his application.
