Judge Demands Sowore's Lawyer to Kneel in Court, Threatens Imprisonment

On Monday, March 16, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Judge Mohammed Umar threatened Marshall Abubakar, who serves as the lead defence counsel for Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, with contempt of court.

The tension arose as Abubakar raised his voice while presenting his arguments in court.

Judge Umar reacted by ordering the lawyer to step out of the bar area and kneel down before the court.

The judge's directive followed Abubakar's insistence that the date set by the court for the defence to present its case was unsuitable for him.

In an attempt to mediate, other legal practitioners urgently requested the judge to show leniency towards Abubakar.

Sowore is currently facing prosecution led by the State Security Service (SSS) for allegedly labeling President Bola Tinubu a 'criminal' on his social media platforms Google X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

Originally, Sowore was indicted alongside the parent companies of Google X and Facebook on December 5, 2025. However, following a recent review of the charges, these companies were removed as defendants. Consequently, Sowore stands as the sole defendant in the case.

The modification of the charges also resulted in a reduction from five counts to two.

After these amendments, the SSS rearraigned Sowore on Monday, where he once again pleaded not guilty.

The courtroom incident occurred after defence attorney Abubakar completed the cross-examination of the prosecution's lone witness. Following this, Akinlolu Kehinde, the prosecution counsel and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), announced the closure of the prosecution's case and requested the defence to present theirs.

When the judge inquired about when the defence planned to commence, Abubakar mentioned that the defence intended to file a no-case submission, suggesting that the proceedings be postponed until a date in July. Kehinde countered this proposal, arguing it was part of a tactic to prolong the trial.

The judge acknowledged that the prosecution had moved quickly, while the defence had taken four days merely to cross-examine one witness.

Although the judge stated that daily hearings would not be practical, he scheduled the next court appearance for April 13 to finalize the no-case submissions.

Abubakar appeared unhappy about this date.

As Sowore sought to address the judge on how the fixed date might clash with upcoming political primaries for his party, his lawyer, Abubakar, simultaneously voiced his intent to seize power from President Tinubu.

"This court belongs to everyone, not just a few people," shouted Abubakar during the exchange.

The judge's attempts to quiet the lawyer were futile, leading to a stern warning: "If you raise your voice in this courtroom again, I will hold you in contempt. Come here and kneel down!" he instructed, directing Abubakar to a spot in front of the judge’s bench.

With the escalating situation, the other lawyers promptly intervened, urging the judge to show mercy to Abubakar, while the judge adjourned the case until April 13 and left the courtroom for the day.

Earlier in the session, Prosecutor Kehinde had raised concerns about Sowore allegedly possessing a recording device while in the dock, urging the court to ensure it was confiscated.

However, Sowore, allowed to respond, denied having such a device, stating he only had his eyeglasses, power bank, and phone.

Judge Umar reminded Sowore that he had previously been ordered not to bring any gadgets into the courtroom.

The judge eventually instructed Sowore to give the items to his lawyers, and an official in the court facilitated the transfer to Abubakar.

When proceedings resumed later, Abubakar explained that he had only been informed about that day's session shortly before it began, as he was in another court handling a different case.

He requested a brief adjournment until 12:30 PM to fetch the case file from his office.

Despite Kehinde’s objections, stating it was a delay tactic, the judge granted the request. When the court reconvened just before 1 PM, Abubakar cross- examined Cyril Nosike, the prosecution's witness from the SSS, for almost two hours, presenting several newspaper articles for reference during the examination.