{"id":126300,"date":"2026-03-25T20:04:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=126300"},"modified":"2026-03-25T20:04:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:04:54","slug":"nba-abati-condemn-sowores-court-conduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nba-abati-condemn-sowores-court-conduct\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA, Abati Condemn Sowore&#8217;s Court Conduct"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has berated activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his conduct at the Federal High Court in Abuja.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly , Arise TV anchor, Reuben Abati, also faulted Sowore&#8217;s outburst, describing it as \u201caberrant behaviour\u201d and an overreach.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident unfolded on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Sowore was said to have had a heated exchange with Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Musibau Adetunbi, after attempting to address journalists from inside the courtroom.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement released on Wednesday, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, faulted the development, stressing that courtrooms must not be turned into platforms for publicity or advocacy theatrics, as such actions undermine the discipline expected in judicial proceedings.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He noted, \u201cCourtrooms in a constitutional democracy are open to the public not as arenas for performance, but as sanctuaries for the orderly administration of justice.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cTheir openness promotes transparency and public confidence, yet it also imposes a duty of restraint on all who enter.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The NBA expressed concern over Sowore\u2019s conduct, noting that he entered the courtroom with individuals carrying recording equipment and appeared to be preparing for a press conference.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cHe proceeded to set up what appeared to be preparations for a press conference within the courtroom itself. Members of his team attended to him, fanning his face and tidying his appearance in a manner akin to a broadcast setting,\u201d the statement said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The association further stated that Sowore moved into the inner bar, sat on a table, and began addressing \u201ca range of national issues\u201d while cameras recorded him, despite the fact that his case was not scheduled for hearing and he was not accompanied by any legal practitioner.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The development, it said, led to tension in the courtroom and a confrontation with Adetunbi, who objected to the conduct and insisted on maintaining courtroom decorum.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reiterating the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the judiciary, the NBA stressed that courtrooms are solemn spaces dedicated to the administration of justice.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhile every Nigerian, including Mr. Sowore, is entitled to attend and observe court proceedings, such right must be exercised responsibly and with due regard to courtroom decorum,\u201d the statement added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The association maintained that public access to courtrooms does not extend to converting them into platforms for press briefings or actions capable of undermining the dignity and authority of the court.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting to the incident, Arise tv news anchor, Reuben Abati backed the NBA\u2019s position, describing Sowore\u2019s conduct as an overreach and \u201caberrant behaviour.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0He said he would be keenly observing how the system responds, while urging Nigerians to regard the courtroom as a temple of justice that must be treated with utmost respect.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nigerian Bar Association reiterated its condemnation of Sowore\u2019s actions, expressing solidarity with Musibau Adetunbi and other legal practitioners who insisted on maintaining order. It stressed that it remains committed to defending the dignity of the legal profession and preserving the sanctity of judicial proceedings.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has berated activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his conduct at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Similarly , Arise&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NBA, Abati Condemn Sowore&#039;s Court Conduct - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nba-abati-condemn-sowores-court-conduct\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA, Abati Condemn Sowore&#039;s Court Conduct - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Oscar Okhifo The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has berated activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, over his conduct at the Federal High Court in Abuja. 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