Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has strongly condemned the hijacking of Nigeria’s justice system by security agents.
In a statement, Sowore accused uniformed agents from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of illegally mounting a presence in front of a court and harassing everyone, including lawyers.
Sowore, who is also convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement sharing a video clip showing his face-off with operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at the Federal High Court on Monday, when they tried to prevent him from having access to the court, specifically criticised the security agents for protecting Alhaji Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, whom he described as a “thief.”
Sowore, who was in court for a case noted that the same security agents had failed to apprehend Bello for months, highlighting their ineptitude and bias.
The former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), wrote in his X handle: “The justice system in Nigeria has been hijacked by uniformed, uncouth security agents ranging from the DSS, Nigeria Police Force, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“Today, they mounted illegally in front of the court, harassing everybody because of a thief, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. The same Yahaya Bello they couldn’t apprehend for months; even lawyers were harassed, and the Nigerian Bar Association should stop this nonsense.”
The Nigerian activist also quoted Malcolm X, saying, “Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalise them for not being able to stand up under the weight.”
The justice system in Nigeria has been hijacked by uniformed, uncouth security agents ranging from @OfficialDSSNG, @PoliceNG, and @CivilDefenceNGR. Today, they mounted illegally in front of the court, harassing everybody because of a thief, Yahaya Bello @officialgybkogi. The same… pic.twitter.com/7FmJ8lYXOa
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) February 24, 2025
A video clip had showed Sowore facing off with EFCC operatives at the Federal High Court, who tried to prevent him from accessing the court. Despite the intervention of a senior police officer, some officers continued to harass Sowore, asking him to provide his lawyer’s details and suit number.
In the video clip, seen by SaharaReporters, both lawyers and their clients, and other litigants were prevented from accessing the federal High Court complex by police operatives.
From the video clip, lawyers and litigants were seeing standing outside the gate while some were seen filing in a single line while several security agents were seen standing at the gate.
Immediately, Sowore entered the gate, the operatives led by one mobile police officer rushed at him while some including personnel of the NSCDC shouting “Where are you going?”
When he approached Sowore, he introduced himself as a police officer and asked Sowore to go out to the gate.
But Sowore declined reminding the police officer that he was not an officer of the court and therefore had no business stopping him.
It took the intervention of an elderly and very senior police officer who ordered the younger officers to allow him to have access to the court.
Despite the intervention of the senior police officer, some officers were busy asking him “Call your lawyer to come and identify you. Tell us the Suit Number of the case you came for.”
Sowore, however, maintained his ground insisting that he would not tell them because they were not the officers of the court and therefore, had no business stopping litigants and lawyers from accessing the court for their cases.
