A Federal High Court in Abuja granted bail of N10 million on Thursday to human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, in connection with alleged cybercrime charges brought by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.

Justice Musa Liman, while ruling on the bail application, also ordered Sowore to deposit his passport with the court.

SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that the trial judge remarked that requesting the applicant’s passport was standard procedure, noting that should there be an urgent need for the applicant to use the passport, he can approach the court.

Sowore is facing trial on a 16-count amended charge but has pleaded not guilty to all charges filed by the IGP Egbetokun.

On Monday, Sowore visited the Force Criminal Investigation Department to answer questions regarding his post calling the IGP “Illegal IGP.”

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, Marshal 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-recognizance 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 had honoured.

He also noted that the police had previously granted Sowore administrative bail.

However, the police counsel, M. U. Jonathan, opposed the bail application, presenting a counter-affidavit deposed to 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 passport.

The judge while ruling on the bail application said 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 has cronies within and outside Nigeria who could allegedly interfere with the trial.

The judge also queried the prosecution for raising objections to Sowore’s bail application after the police had granted him administrative bail. He accused them of being inconsistent, speaking in favor and against the same issue simultaneously.

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.

The judge, therefore, ordered the applicant to deposit his 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.

Sowore’s lawyer, Abubakar, requested that his client be released to his legal team pending the fulfillment 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.

Ohha Microfinance Bank Limited has issued an ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding that they produce an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow recovered from a fraudster within three months.

The bank claims that a court ordered the sale of the property and payment to the bank in 2019, but the EFCC has yet to comply.

In a pre-action notice dated January 28, 2025, which SaharaReporters obtained on Wednesday morning, the bank warned that it would sue the EFCC and seek N100 million in compensation if the property is not produced within the stipulated timeframe.

The notice, signed by Olu Omotayo Esq, on behalf of the bank reminded the EFCC chairman of the bank’s petition dated February 9, 2024, which requested the Zonal Office to investigate the matter.

Interestingly, the EFCC had previously convicted a former bank manager, Oliver Anidiobi, for diverting N219 million from OHHA Microfinance Bank. Anidiobi was found guilty of using the funds to build a block of flats, acquire plots of land, and construct an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow.

“… matter was investigated by the Enugu Zonal office of the Commission and the suspect Oliver Anidiobi charged to the court by the Commission on 7th May 2019, in Charge Number: E/162C/19, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA VS. ANIDIOBI OLIVER CHUWUKA,” the bank explained.

“At the conclusion of the trial, accused person was sentenced to eight years, imprisonment and three properties which he acquired with the proceeds of the crimes ordered to be attached and sold and the proceeds be paid to Ohha Microfinance Bank Ltd.

“It should be noted that when EFCC operatives led, I and our clients’ officials to identify the three properties, it was surprising that EFCC operatives stated that they could not identify one of the properties again, which is an uncompleted four-bedroom bungalow at Centenary City, Enugu.

“Based on our insistence that how could a landed property recovered from a convict developed wings and disappeared into thin air, the Commission thereafter approached the Court which gave an Order that the Controller of Corrections, Enugu State should allow the officials of the EFCC to interview the Convict Anidiobi Oliver Chukwuka, and identify the four bedroom bungalow at the Centenary City Enugu, being one of the properties traced and attached from the convict pursuant to the Judgment of the Honorable Court delivered on the 2nd November 2019.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the Edo State Governorship Election to the Election Tribunal, following a legal request from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The election, conducted on September 21, 2024, saw Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerge victorious. However, the PDP has contested the results, citing concerns over electoral irregularities. After INEC initially declined to release the BVAS devices voluntarily, the party obtained a subpoena compelling the commission to present them as evidence before the Tribunal.

With the BVAS machines now in the Tribunal’s custody, experts are analyzing the retrieved data, particularly in relation to allegations of over-voting. Preliminary findings suggest inconsistencies between the number of accredited voters recorded by the BVAS and the final results announced in multiple polling units.

The PDP contends that votes recorded in some areas exceeded the number of accredited voters, which, if proven, could indicate electoral malpractice. The Tribunal’s review of the BVAS logs is expected to play a crucial role in determining whether the election results were accurate.

During Thursday’s hearing, a collation agent from Akoko Edo’s Ward 9 testified before the Tribunal. He acknowledged that while voting in the ward’s 13 polling units was conducted without major disruptions, the results collated at the ward level differed from those uploaded on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

Additionally, he alleged that an alternative set of results had been introduced at the collation center, which did not match the records from the polling units. Due to this discrepancy, he refused to endorse the ward’s final result sheet.

A second witness from Oredo Local Government Area also presented evidence, asserting that the final results declared in Ward 1 did not align with either the original polling unit results or the data available on the IREV platform.

In response to these claims, the Tribunal admitted Certified True Copies (CTCs) of electoral documents submitted by the PDP. These documents, the party argues, highlight significant disparities between the official election results and the actual polling unit records.

The inclusion of BVAS data as evidence is widely regarded as a pivotal development in the case. Since the Supreme Court has affirmed BVAS as the primary reference for voter accreditation data, legal analysts believe this strengthens the PDP’s petition, led by Asue Ighodalo.

The BVAS logs provide an auditable trail of the number of accredited voters in each polling unit, making them a crucial piece of evidence in verifying the legitimacy of the results declared by INEC. If discrepancies persist between BVAS records and the official results, it could impact the Tribunal’s final ruling.

On the other hand, the APC and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s legal team are expected to scrutinize the BVAS evidence carefully. Their defense strategy will likely focus on questioning the credibility of the PDP’s claims and ensuring that the election outcome remains valid.

As the Tribunal continues its proceedings, the case remains one of the most closely watched legal battles in recent electoral history, with significant implications for future elections and the use of BVAS technology in Nigeria.