A Federal High Court in Abuja witnessed a tense moment on Monday as Justice Mohammed Umar cautioned defence counsel Marshall Abubakar, lawyer to Omoyele Sowore, over his conduct during proceedings and threatened him with contempt.
The judge’s reaction followed the lawyer’s raised voice while arguing that the date fixed for the defence to open its case was inconvenient. In response, Justice Umar ordered him to step out of the bar area and kneel, a directive that prompted immediate appeals from other lawyers in the courtroom.
The intervention by counsel present helped to calm the situation, and the judge refrained from taking further action.
The case involves the prosecution of Mr Sowore by the State Security Service (SSS) over allegations that he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” on his social media platforms. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Initially, the charges included the parent companies of X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, but amendments to the case removed the firms as defendants and reduced the counts from five to two, leaving Mr Sowore as the sole defendant.
During Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Akinlolu Kehinde, closed its case after presenting a single witness. The defence indicated plans to file a no-case submission and requested an adjournment until July, a move opposed by the prosecution as a delay tactic.
Justice Umar declined a daily hearing schedule but fixed April 13 for the adoption of final written addresses on the no-case submission.
Tension rose when both Mr Sowore and his lawyer attempted to address the court simultaneously, with Mr Abubakar speaking loudly despite repeated warnings. The judge warned that further disruption could lead to imprisonment for contempt before ordering him to kneel.
Earlier in the day, the prosecution raised concerns that Mr Sowore had a recording device in the dock, an allegation he denied. He stated that he only had personal items, which were subsequently handed over to court officials in compliance with the judge’s directive.
Proceedings were briefly stood down to allow the defence counsel retrieve his case file. Upon resumption, he cross-examined the prosecution’s sole witness, an SSS operative, for about two hours before the matter was adjourned.
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