During a high-stakes session at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Mohammed Umar issued a startling directive to Marshall Abubakar, the lead counsel for activist Omoyele Sowore.
The incident occurred during the ongoing cyberbullying case brought forward by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Tensions flared when the judge accused the lawyer of an outburst in court, specifically for repeatedly shouting while addressing the bench.
Justice Umar warned that he would commit the lawyer for contempt of court if he did not comply, famously stating, "Come and kneel down here!"
The legal proceedings took a sharp turn as other senior lawyers rushed to intervene. Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), the prosecuting counsel, led the pleas for mercy to de-escalate the situation.
The conflict originally stemmed from a disagreement over the next hearing date, with the defense requesting an adjournment until July to file a no-case submission.
However, the judge noted that the defense had already used four days to cross-examine a single witness and insisted on an accelerated hearing schedule, eventually fixing April 13, 2026, for the next major step in the trial.
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