Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday threatened to commit the lead defence counsel to politician and publisher Omoyele Sowore, Marshall Abubakar, to prison for contempt after the lawyer raised his voice during proceedings.
At the height of the tense exchange, the judge ordered the lawyer to step forward and kneel in open court before other lawyers intervened and pleaded for leniency.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services over a social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” on his X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts.
Courtroom Drama
The confrontation began shortly after Abubakar concluded the cross-examination of the prosecution’s sole witness, Cyril Nosike, a DSS official.
Following the cross-examination, prosecuting counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), announced that the prosecution was closing its case and urged the court to call on the defence to open its case.
Abubakar responded that the defence intended to file a no-case submission and asked the court to adjourn the matter until July.
Kehinde objected, arguing that the request formed part of what he described as the defence’s “dilatory tactics” aimed at delaying the trial. He suggested that the matter be heard on a day-to-day basis.
Justice Umar observed that while the prosecution had been swift in presenting its case, the defence spent four days cross-examining the lone prosecution witness.
The judge said daily hearings would not be feasible but directed that the parties return on April 13 for the adoption of final written addresses on the proposed no-case submission.
Lawyer Raises Voice
Abubakar appeared dissatisfied with the date.
While Sowore, speaking from the dock, began explaining how the proposed date could affect his political party’s upcoming primaries, his lawyer also began addressing the court simultaneously.
“This court belongs to all of us. This court is not for some people alone. It belongs to all of us,” Abubakar shouted.
The judge repeatedly asked the lawyer to lower his voice.
When the shouting continued, Justice Umar warned him: “If you shout in this court again, I will commit you for contempt.”
Moments later, the judge issued a dramatic order.
“In fact, come here! Come and kneel down here!” he said, pointing to a spot in front of the courtroom.
Lawyers Intervene
The order sparked immediate reactions in the courtroom as lawyers quickly rose to plead with the judge.
Kehinde, the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria present, led other counsel in begging the court to forgive the defence lawyer.
While the appeals for leniency were ongoing, Justice Umar adjourned the case to April 13 for the adoption of final written addresses and rose from the bench.
Earlier Dispute Over Recording Device
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution alleged that Sowore had brought a recording device into the dock and asked the court to order that it be confiscated.
Sowore denied possessing any recording equipment, stating that he only had his eyeglasses, a power bank, and his mobile phone.
Justice Umar recalled that the court had previously ordered that the defendant should not bring electronic gadgets into the dock and directed him to hand over the items to his lawyers through a court official.
Delay in Proceedings
At the start of the hearing, Abubakar had asked the court for a stand-down until 12:30 p.m., saying he had only learned about the sitting shortly before proceedings began and had left the case file in his office while attending another matter in court.
Although the prosecution opposed the request, arguing it was another attempt to delay proceedings, the judge granted the application.
When the case resumed shortly before 1 p.m., Abubakar cross-examined the DSS witness for nearly two hours, during which he tendered several newspaper publications and asked the witness to read from some of them.
Debate Among Lawyers
The incident has since sparked debate among members of the legal community.
Some lawyers argued that the judge’s order was inappropriate and degrading.
“A judge should never tell a lawyer to come and kneel. A lawyer is not the judge’s houseboy. This is scandalous,” one lawyer said.
However, another lawyer insisted that the defence counsel’s conduct was also unacceptable.
“A lawyer should never raise his voice at the bench, no matter the provocation. It is unprofessional to shout at a judge,” the lawyer said.
Others argued that although the court has the authority to discipline counsel for misconduct, compelling a lawyer to kneel crosses a line.
“The court should take the appropriate legal steps if a lawyer misbehaves, including contempt proceedings. But it should never involve degrading punishment,” another lawyer said.
“It is embarrassing to see the spectacle of a lawyer kneeling in court like a primary school student before a headmaster.”
Some legal observers also suggested that ordering a lawyer to kneel could itself raise questions about judicial conduct and courtroom decorum.
