The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has criticised the conduct of activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore following an incident at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, describing it as a breach of courtroom decorum and a challenge to judicial authority.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the NBA said courtrooms in a constitutional democracy are open to the public to promote transparency, but are not venues for performance, publicity, or political theatre.
It stressed that public access to judicial proceedings comes with a responsibility to uphold order, discipline and respect for the court.
According to the association, Sowore entered the courtroom on March 24 accompanied by individuals carrying recording devices and appeared to prepare for a media engagement inside the court.
The NBA said members of his entourage attended to him in a manner resembling a broadcast setup before he moved into the inner bar, sat on a table, and began addressing cameras on what he termed national issues.
The association states that Sowore’s case was not scheduled for hearing on the day and that he was not accompanied by a legal practitioner.
It asserted that the situation reportedly escalated into tension within the courtroom, prompting an objection from senior lawyer Musibau Adetunbi, who insisted on the preservation of courtroom order.
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The NBA said any conduct that undermines the dignity of the court, disrupts proceedings, or intimidates legal practitioners amounts to a serious affront to the rule of law.
It warned that using courtrooms as platforms for advocacy, confrontation, or publicity, whether or not proceedings are formally underway, was incompatible with the purpose of the judicial process.
While maintaining that all Nigerians have the right to attend court proceedings, the association cautioned that such rights must be exercised responsibly and within established boundaries of decorum.
It added that access to courtrooms does not extend to staging press briefings or activities capable of eroding the authority of the judiciary.
The NBA upheld that it stood in solidarity with Adetunbi and other lawyers who objected to the incident, and called on court authorities to ensure that courtrooms remain protected spaces for the orderly administration of justice.
"The NBA therefore condemns Mr. Sowore’s disruption of the courtroom environment and expresses solidarity with Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, and all lawyers who insisted on maintaining decorum.
"We also call on court authorities to ensure that courtrooms remain protected spaces for the orderly administration of justice and free from acts capable of intimidating legal practitioners in the discharge of their professional duties.
"The NBA will continue to defend the dignity of the legal profession and the sanctity of judicial proceedings.
"The courtroom must remain a place of order, respect, disciplined advocacy, and responsible public access, not spectacle, confrontation, or disorder," the statement read partly.
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