Tension arose at the Federal High Court of Nigeria after Justice Mohammed Umar ordered a lawyer representing activist Omoyele Sowore to kneel during proceedings, a directive the counsel rejected, insisting it was not recognised under Nigerian law.
The confrontation occurred on Monday, during the ongoing trial of Sowore, who is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over remarks in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a criminal. The incident took place at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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The courtroom tension reportedly began after Sowore’s legal team asked for a longer adjournment following the prosecution’s claim that it had closed its case, a request that appeared to irritate the judge.
During the proceedings, Sowore told the court he intended to continue travelling across Nigeria to mobilise opposition against President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Lead prosecutor Adeolu Kehinde, SAN, quickly moved to interrupt him. At that point, Sowore’s lead counsel, Marshal Abubakar, rose to speak.
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According to reports from the courtroom, the lawyer delivered an emotional intervention, arguing that Nigeria’s future depended on the kind of progressive, leftist ideas Sowore represents. He also suggested that the federal government was determined to silence the activist and possibly imprison him to prevent him from participating in the next election cycle.
Justice Umar, who had repeatedly indicated that he did not want further arguments from Abubakar, then lost his temper and ordered the lawyer to step forward and kneel down as punishment for what he described as contempt of court.
However, the counsel refused.
Speaking in what witnesses described as a muffled but persistent tone, Abubakar told the court that kneeling before a judge was unknown to Nigerian law and could not be imposed as a lawful punishment.
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His response prompted concern inside the courtroom, with several lawyers rising to appeal to the judge to calm down as tensions escalated.
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