Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court lost his temper on Monday during the trial of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. Sowore is facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a criminal.
The tension started when Sowore’s lawyers requested a longer adjournment after the prosecution said it had finished presenting its case. The request appeared to irritate the judge.
During the court session, Sowore told the judge he would keep travelling across Nigeria to mobilise against President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Lead prosecutor Adeolu Kehinde, SAN, quickly tried to stop him.
Sowore’s lead lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, then stood up to speak.
In an emotional statement, Abubakar argued passionately that Nigeria’s future depended on the progressive, leftist ideas Sowore supports. He also suggested that the Federal Government was determined to jail Sowore to silence him and stop him from taking part in the upcoming elections.
Justice Umar, who had already said he did not want further argument from Abubakar, lost his temper. He ordered the lawyer to step forward and kneel down, calling it punishment for what he described as ‘contempt of court.’
Abubakar refused, telling the judge in a muffled but firm tone that kneeling before a judge is not recognised by Nigerian law and could not be imposed as a lawful punishment.
The courtroom reacted immediately, with several lawyers appealing to the judge to calm down.
The court eventually adjourned the case to April 13, 2026, despite objections from Sowore’s lawyers, who said the date was inconvenient.
