Federal High Court Warns Sowore: Defence Risks Foreclosure Over Repeated Adjournments
At the resumed trial before Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, the court cautioned that the defence of Omoyele Sowore may be foreclosed if his legal team fails to continue with its case.
The warning followed the absence of Sowore’s counsel in court to present witnesses. Although Sowore was present, he explained that his lead counsel, Olumide Fusika, SAN, was in the United Kingdom with the court’s knowledge, while his stand‑in counsel, Raphael Adakole, was out of jurisdiction. He therefore sought an adjournment to enable his lawyers to appear and handle the defence.
Justice Umar noted that Sowore could only move an oral application if he intended to represent himself. The prosecution, led by Akinlolu Kehinde, opposed the adjournment, stressing that this was the 11th adjournment, contrary to the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). He urged the court to foreclose the defence and proceed with consequential orders, citing the subsisting directive for day‑to‑day trial.
In his ruling, Justice Umar emphasized that fair hearing requires giving the defendant every opportunity to defend himself, but warned that the court cannot compel a defendant to present a case. In the interest of justice, the court granted a final adjournment, cautioning that failure to continue the defence at the next sitting would result in foreclosure.
The matter was adjourned to 22nd July 2026 for continuation of defence.
