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The incident occurred during proceedings in the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the counsel for activist Omoyele Sowore to kneel in open court.
The incident occurred during proceedings in the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday.
Umar 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.
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