Incredible! Justice Umar orders Sowore’s lawyer to kneel down in court

By Taiye Agbaje

Drama unfolded at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday as Justice Mohammed Umar ordered counsel to activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, to kneel in open court over what he described as misconduct.

The incident occurred during proceedings in the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS), following claims he made against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The presiding judge issued the directive after the defence counsel, Marshall Abubakar, repeatedly raised his voice while addressing the court.

At the height of the tension, Justice Umar warned the lawyer against further outbursts and ordered him forward.

“If you shout in this court again, I will commit you for contempt. In fact, come here! Come and kneel down here!” the judge said, pointing to a spot before the bench.

The order drew immediate reactions in the courtroom as several lawyers rose to plead with the judge to temper justice with mercy.

The situation was eventually diffused after senior lawyers, including prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), intervened and urged the court to forgive the defence lawyer.

The confrontation followed disagreements over the next hearing date after the prosecution formally closed its case.

While the prosecution requested that the defence open its case, Abubakar informed the court that the defence intended to file a no-case submission and proposed an adjournment until July.

Kehinde opposed the request, describing it as part of a strategy to delay proceedings, and urged the court to adopt a more accelerated hearing schedule.

Justice Umar, however, observed that while the prosecution had conducted its case expeditiously, the defence had taken longer, spending four days cross-examining a single witness.

He subsequently fixed April 13, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses on the no-case submission.

The development did not go down well with Abubakar, who insisted that the date was not convenient.

Tensions escalated further when Sowore, speaking from the witness box, attempted to explain how the scheduled date could affect his party’s primaries, while his lawyer simultaneously addressed the court.

“This court belongs to all of us. This court is not for some people alone. It belongs to all of us,” Abubakar said loudly.

Efforts by the judge to restore order proved unsuccessful, prompting the threat of contempt and the directive for the lawyer to kneel.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court addressed concerns raised by the prosecution that Sowore had a recording device in the dock.

Sowore denied the allegation, stating that he only had his glasses, phone and power bank with him.

Justice Umar reiterated the court’s earlier order prohibiting defendants from bringing gadgets into the dock and directed Sowore to hand over the items to court officials.

In another development, Abubakar told the court he had only been informed of the sitting shortly before proceedings commenced and was not in possession of the case file, as he had been engaged in another matter.

He sought a stand-down to retrieve the file, a request initially opposed by the prosecution but later granted by the court.

Upon resumption, the defence counsel proceeded to cross-examine the sole prosecution witness, Cyril Nosike, a DSS operative, for about two hours, during which several newspaper publications were tendered as exhibits.

Justice Umar subsequently adjourned the matter to April 13, 2026, for further proceedings. (NAN)