The Department of State Services has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the remand of Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress and an online publisher, over his failure to meet the conditions attached to the bail granted him.

Sowore is being prosecuted by the DSS for alleged criminal defamation following social media posts on his official X and Facebook accounts in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a criminal.

At Thursday's proceedings, the prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde, told the court that Sowore had not fulfilled the bail conditions set on June 30, urging the court to revoke his temporary release and order his return to custody until the requirements are satisfied. Counsel to the defendant, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, opposed the application, insisting that the bail conditions were already being processed.

In his ruling on the application, Justice Mohammed Umar said that although he had signed Sowore's release order during the previous sitting, he would wait until the close of business to assess the extent of the defendant's compliance before deciding whether to order his remand.

Meanwhile, Sowore opened his defence by calling his first witness, Abuja-based lawyer Deji Adeyanju. The case was subsequently adjourned for further proceedings.