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Former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore on Monday urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to release his international passport to enable him to travel and see his family in the United States.
Sowore is currently on bail, facing a 16-count amended charge of cybercrime filed against him by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
He was arraigned for allegedly using his X handle to refer to the IGP with names such as “Illegal IGP.”
When the charges were read to him, he pleaded not guilty, describing them as contentious and a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Before his arraignment, Sowore was invited by the Force Criminal Investigation Department over a tweet the police deemed offensive.
The court granted him bail on 30 January 2025 under stringent conditions, including a ₦10 million bond and the surrender of his passport.
However, the court stipulated that he must seek approval whenever he needed to travel abroad.
At a previous hearing, Justice Musa Liman stated that the court was not opposed to granting permission for Sowore to travel but required documentation as proof.
In response, Sowore informed the court that he had a travel ticket, and the judge instructed him to attach the necessary documents to his application.
At the resumed sitting, Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshall, told the court that the session was for the hearing of a motion seeking the temporary release of Sowore’s passport. The request was to enable him to travel to the U.S. to visit his family and undergo a routine medical check-up, with plans to return in April for his trial.
However, tensions flared in court after Justice Liman asked Sowore why the passport should be released for his purported travel.
After reviewing the submitted documents, the judge questioned why Sowore had not listed the names of his wife and children. He also doubted the authenticity of the documents and the reasons provided for the request, stating that they were neither tenable nor convincing.
Justice Liman held that Sowore’s affidavits failed to mention the names of his wife and children, which he deemed necessary to convince the court.
Additionally, the judge questioned the validity of the defendant’s flight booking email, claiming it was in an unfamiliar format. He also noted that Sowore’s name was missing from the ticket, which was later clarified.
Further, the judge queried the absence of the airline’s name on the ticket. Sowore’s legal team explained that the ticket was issued by United Airlines, a U.S. carrier, and was an official e-ticket.
Sowore expressed frustration, describing the judge’s stance as ridiculous and aligned with the weak opposition presented by the prosecution. He condemned the trial, calling it a frivolous and abusive criminal charge filed by the “illegal” Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The police counsel, Ibrahim Mohammed, urged the court to deny Sowore’s request. He claimed that inquiries at Abuja airport revealed that the ticket was for a trip to Uganda, not the U.S. The prosecution also argued that the application lacked sufficient evidence, citing a text message from Sowore’s doctor as informal and inadequate.
Sowore eventually convinced the court that the ticket was indeed for a trip to the U.S. The judge ruled that he must provide a comprehensive medical history and a formal letter from his U.S. doctor to support his request.
In response, Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshall, argued that a medical report was unnecessary since Sowore was not ill and was not seeking treatment. Instead, the evidence submitted was a text message from Sowore’s primary care team at Columbia University requesting him to schedule a routine visit.
Marshall emphasised that Sowore had a legal right to visit his wife and children, which was a key reason for the passport request. He also reminded the court that Sowore had faced similar politically motivated charges in 2019 but did not flee the country despite the severity of those allegations.
Sowore, speaking from the witness box, sought to clarify matters further, but Justice Liman refused, stating that the defendant could not speak for himself.
Sowore responded, “My Lord, of course, I can speak for myself. I am a citizen of this country, and I’m the one on trial before you. If I cannot get justice from the court, then the court might as well throw me into jail.
“I’m speaking to guide the court. Lagos has an airport code (LOS), and Washington Dulles Airport – my point of first arrival – has an airport code (IAD). How could you then believe the police lawyer that this ticket before you is for Uganda? Do you think I can lie to you?
“For your information, I will not run away from my country.”
Justice Liman attempted to silence Sowore, but he continued speaking. He added that he was not afraid of being jailed by the judge after a threat of contempt of court.
He accused the court of attempting to gag him and his lawyers from mounting a strong defence.
The judge noted that the court held no personal grudge against anyone but was only interested in clear and credible documentation.
After hearing arguments from both parties, the court adjourned the matter to Tuesday, March 4, 2025, for a ruling.
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