Crime
BREAKING: Court grants Sowore N10 million bail, orders he deposits his international passport
Human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore has been granted N10 million bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja in the alleged cybercrime charges instituted against him by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Justice Musa Liman granted him bail on Thursday with several conditions, including the requirement to deposit his international passport with the court.
Ohibaba.com previously reported on Wednesday that Sowore was arraigned before the court on a 16-count amended charge but pleaded not guilty to all charges filed by the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
On Monday, Sowore visited the Force Criminal Investigation Department to answer questions regarding his remarks against the IGP.
What transpired in previous court proceedings
The police alleged that Sowore referred to Egbetokun as “the illegal IG of the Nigeria Police Force” on his X (formerly Twitter) page and captioned the IGP’s picture with: _“Mediocrity, incompetence, corruption, a country run by characterless people cannot make progress.”
During the proceedings, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, filed a motion dated January 29, 2025, seeking bail on liberal terms.
“Principally, we are asking for the release of the applicant on bail on self-recognition or the most liberal terms possible, pending the hearing and determination of the trial,” Abubakar said.
Abubakar argued that the court has discretionary powers regarding bail applications.
He stated that the defendant was invited by the police via a WhatsApp message, which he honored.
He also noted that the police had previously granted Sowore administrative bail.
However, the police counsel, M. Uddy Jonathan, opposed the bail application, presenting a counter-affidavit deposed by police intelligence officer Friday Ameh.
“We urge the court to dismiss the bail application. Bail cannot be granted in a vacuum,” he said.
He added that if the court were inclined to grant bail, it should impose conditions that ensure Sowore’s continued appearance at trial.
He also urged the court to mandate Sowore to deposit his international passport.
Ruling on the bail application on Thursday, the judge stated that a person has the right to bail unless there are compelling reasons to deny it.
The judge noted that the police argued that Sowore had cronies within and outside Nigeria who could allegedly interfere with the trial.
However, the judge ruled that the police failed to prove how Sowore could intimidate high-ranking police officers who would testify in the case.
He further stated that the prosecution did not establish any link between Sowore and the purported cronies.
The judge concluded that the bail applicant deserves his personal liberty pending the outcome of the trial.
“If the applicant desires to jump bail, it is to his own peril,” the judge remarked, noting that the police had previously granted Sowore administrative bail.
“Bail is accordingly granted to the applicant in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum,”the judge ruled.
Additionally, the judge ordered that:
The applicant must deposit his international passport with the court.
The surety must be a responsible Nigerian citizen residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
The surety must submit an affidavit of means and title documents of landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which must be verified by the court registrar, along with a valid means of identification.
Following the ruling, Sowore’s lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, requested that his client be released to his legal team pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions within a few hours.
The judge granted Sowore a 24-hour extension to remain with his lawyers.
The case was adjourned to April 8, 2025.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a significant breakthrough in its fight against transnational organized crime with the arrest of two internationally wanted fugitives: Felix Omoregie alias “Eghosa Johnson Omoregie,” a suspected ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, and Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje, a key member of a Dubai-based armed robbery gang
In a statement dated May 7, 2025, with the reference number Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.6/433, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force PRO, Force HQ Abuja, said: “Felix Omoregie, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation, had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on 19th December 2023, and was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by Police operatives.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin City.
Omoregie is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging between €20,000 and €50,000 used to manipulate and control them.
His criminal network involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.
Following a conviction in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership, Omoregie fled to Nigeria.
Upon his arrest, a search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada.
In a separate operation, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, apprehended 37-year-old Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Ezeje is wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a series of serious crimes, including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities.
Intelligence gathered reveals that Ezeje continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely from Nigeria.
He has been directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall, a targeted hit on Al Ansari Exchange in Jumeirah, and another heist at a Bureau de Change in Jebel Ali Village.
The arrest was the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police.
The arraignment of Okwudili Ezeje is expected to take place shortly.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to enhancing its global policing partnerships and ensuring that fugitives find no safe haven within our borders.
These arrests serve as a clear message that criminal elements, no matter how far they run or how long they hide, will be brought to justice.
The Force calls on citizens to remain vigilant and cooperative in the fight against organized crime, both at home and abroad.”
…..Reiterates Commitment towards International Partnership
The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a significant breakthrough in its fight against transnational organized crime with the arrest of two internationally wanted fugitives:
Felix Omoregie alias “Eghosa Johnson Omoregie,” a suspected ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, and Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje, a key member of a Dubai-based armed robbery gang.
Felix Omoregie, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation, had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on 19th December 2023, and was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by Police operatives.
He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin City. Omoregie is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women—including minors—to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging between €20,000 and €50,000 used to manipulate and control them.
His criminal network involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.
Following a conviction in absentia in Belgium in 2021 for multiple counts of aggravated human trafficking and criminal organization leadership, Omoregie fled to Nigeria.
Upon his arrest, a search of his premises revealed incriminating materials, including a photocopy of a passport intended for a planned relocation to Canada.
In a separate operation, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, apprehended 37-year-old Okwudili Sabastine Ezeje at a hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State.
Ezeje is wanted by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a series of serious crimes including armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities.
Intelligence gathered reveals that Ezeje continued to coordinate criminal operations remotely from Nigeria.
He has been directly linked to several high-profile robberies in Dubai and Sharjah, including an armed robbery at a grocery store in Dubai Mall, a targeted hit on Al Ansari Exchange in Jumeirah, and another heist at a Bureau de Change in Jebel Ali Village.
The arrest was the result of strategic intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Dubai Police.
The arraignment of Okwudili Ezeje is expected to take place shortly.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., commends all operatives involved in these high-profile arrests for their professionalism, diligence, and dedication to upholding Nigeria’s international law enforcement obligations.
The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to enhancing its global policing partnerships and ensuring that fugitives find no safe haven within our borders.
These arrests serve as a clear message that criminal elements, no matter how far they run or how long they hide, will be brought to justice.
The Force calls on citizens to remain vigilant and cooperative in the fight against organized crime, both at home and abroad.
Government’s second witness in the ongoing trial of Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu says the secessionist leader is the founder of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and operator of Radio Biafra.
At the resumed hearing on the matter, the second prosecution witness, identified as BBB, testified that he was assigned by the then Attorney General of the Federation to investigate Kanu.
But attempts by the prosecution to tender a letter authorising the investigation was objected by Agabi on grounds that the document was not front loaded.
This prompted the prosecution’s withdrawal of the document, a request granted by the court.
The court, therefore, ordered that all materials intended for the trial must be served in advance and listed properly, stressing that no document would be admitted unless previously disclosed to the defence.
In another aspect, the presiding judge, James Omotosho, has instructed that only 16 out of the 26 listed would be recognised in court.
This followed a bit of confusion about legal representation, where a certain Charles Ude claimed to be a member of Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team.
But lead defence counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, disassociated the team from Ude’s claim, with Kanu affirming that Agabi remains his official legal representative.
Similarly, the court has barred a relative of the defendant, Favour Kano, from attending three successive proceedings of the court, after she admitted doing a live stream while the judge was seated.
Justice Omotosho revealed she had also posted the content online. The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 7 for the continuation of the examination-in-chief of the second prosecution witness.
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