NBA Slams Sowore Over ‘Courtroom Press Conference’ in Abuja

​The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned the actions of human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, following a heated confrontation at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

​The NBA, in a statement signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, described Sowore’s conduct as a “gross disruption of courtroom decorum” and a “grave affront to the rule of law.” The incident reportedly began when Sowore entered the courtroom with a media team equipped with cameras and recording devices, moving to set up a professional-style press briefing within the inner bar.

​Drama in the Inner Bar

​Tension peaked when a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Musibau Adetunbi, confronted Sowore, asserting that the courtroom was a sanctuary for justice, not a venue for media theatrics. Video footage circulating online shows Sowore resisting the lawyer’s intervention, accusing the SAN of “intimidating” him and “insulting his intelligence.”

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​The NBA statement noted that Sowore, who was not accompanied by legal counsel and whose case was not listed for hearing that day, sat on a courtroom table while addressing a range of national issues.

​”Courtrooms in a constitutional democracy are open to the public not as arenas for performance, but as sanctuaries for the orderly administration of justice,” Osigwe stated. “The use of a courtroom as a venue for publicity, advocacy theatrics, or confrontation is unacceptable.”

​Mixed Reactions and Wider Legal Row

​While the NBA has expressed firm solidarity with Musibau Adetunbi and other lawyers who sought to maintain order, the incident has sparked a broader debate. In a swift rebuttal on his X handle, Sowore denied organizing a formal briefing, accusing the NBA leadership of building its defense of “one of its own” on “falsehoods.”

​Interestingly, this confrontation follows a separate, recent condemnation by the NBA regarding judicial conduct. Earlier this week, the association criticized Justice Mohammed Umar of the same court for reportedly ordering Sowore’s lawyer to kneel in open court—an act the NBA described as “bullying” and a “naked exhibition of judicial power.”

​As the dust settles, the NBA has called on court authorities to ensure that judicial spaces remain protected from acts of intimidation or disorder, whether from the bench or the public.