Proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday turned tense after the presiding judge threatened to cite a defence lawyer for contempt during the ongoing trial of activist and politician Omoyele Sowore over alleged cyber-bullying of Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Justice Mohammed Umar warned Sowore’s lead counsel, Marshall Abubakar, over what he described as unruly conduct in court after the lawyer repeatedly raised his voice while addressing the bench.
At one point, the judge ordered the lawyer to “come here and kneel down” in open court and threatened to commit him for contempt. The situation was defused when other lawyers in the courtroom, including prosecuting counsel Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), appealed to the judge to temper justice with mercy.
The confrontation occurred shortly after the prosecution announced the closure of its case against Sowore.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which is prosecuting the matter, called a single witness during the trial — DSS operative Cyril Nosike — who was cross-examined by the defence for several days before the prosecution rested its case.
The charges stem from social media posts in which Sowore allegedly described President Tinubu as a “criminal” on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, claims the government says violate provisions of Nigeria’s cybercrime laws.
Sowore has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
After the prosecution closed its case, Abubakar informed the court that the defence intended to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against his client.
He requested that the court adjourn proceedings until July to allow time to prepare the application.
However, Kehinde opposed the request, accusing the defence of employing delay tactics and urging the court to proceed with the trial on a day-to-day basis.
Justice Umar, while declining the suggestion for daily hearings, observed that the prosecution had concluded its case swiftly, whereas the defence had taken four days to cross-examine a single witness. He subsequently adjourned the case to April 13 for parties to adopt their written addresses on the no-case submission.
Tensions rose when Abubakar objected to the new date and continued to press the court on scheduling.
While Sowore spoke from the dock about how the proposed date might clash with political activities in his party, his lawyer simultaneously addressed the court, raising his voice.
“This court belongs to all of us. This court is not for some people alone,” the lawyer reportedly shouted during the exchange.
The judge repeatedly asked him to lower his voice before issuing the warning that he could be committed for contempt.
The hearing had earlier begun with a disagreement over whether Sowore had brought electronic devices into the dock, contrary to a previous court order. The judge directed the defendant to surrender his phone, power bank and other items to his lawyers.
Proceedings were also briefly delayed after the defence counsel sought a stand-down to retrieve his case file, saying he had only been informed of the day’s sitting shortly before the session began.
The case is part of a legal dispute between Sowore – a former presidential candidate and publisher of SaharaReporters – and the federal government over his criticism of President Tinubu online.
Initially filed as a multi-count charge under cybercrime laws, the case was later amended to reduce the counts and remove social media platforms as co-defendants, leaving Sowore as the sole accused.
Civil society groups have criticised the prosecution, arguing that criminal charges over online criticism could undermine freedom of expression. Government lawyers, however, maintain that the case concerns alleged false statements capable of causing public disorder.
The court is expected to hear arguments on the defence’s no-case submission when proceedings resume in April.
