Security operatives clashed with human rights activist Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, sparking renewed concerns over the conduct of Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies.
The incident occurred when security agents from the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) mounted a blockade at the court premises, preventing individuals, including lawyers from entering.
The law enforcement officers on Monday blocked the entrance to the Federal High Court, Abuja where they harassed Sowore, the convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, and blocked him from entering the court despite telling them that he had a case in the court.
The situation escalated further when officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confronted Sowore, who was at the court to attend to a legal matter.
In a video that has since gone viral, Sowore is seen vehemently resisting the officers’ attempts to bar him from accessing the court.
WATCH: @YeleSowore Confronts Illegal “RoadBlock” Mounted by @officialEFCC, @official_NSCDC, and @PoliceNG, Demands That Court Officials Are The Ones Entitled To Screen Federal Court Users http://pic.twitter.com/cSh91Db5j6
“You are not an officer of the court; you are an EFCC officer. You have no business standing in front of the court,” Sowore asserted, challenging their authority.
Despite his protests, the security agents demanded details of his case, which he refused to provide, insisting, “You have no right to prevent me from attending my case.”
Sowore insisted that the security officers either call a court official for him or allow him to enter. However, they refused and forcefully pushed him in an attempt to remove him from the court premises. Eventually, one of the police officers ordered them to let him go in.
He emphasised that no legal order barred him from entering the court, accusing the security agents of overstepping their mandate.
In a pointed remark, Sowore referenced the ongoing legal troubles of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, standing trial for alleged multi-billion-naira fraud, asking, “Do I look like Yahaya Bello to you?”
Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, has been embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with the EFCC over allegations of corruption and financial misconduct. His case has been marked by dramatic confrontations between his security detail and EFCC operatives.
In a post on his X page after the incident, Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), said, “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 Yahaya Bello they couldn’t apprehend for months; even lawyers were harassed, and the @NigBarAssoc should stop this nonsense.”
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
Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello was scheduled to appear before the High Court in Maitama, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for the continuation of his trial over multi-billion-naira fraud allegations.
The EFCC arraigned Bello amid heavy security in November 2024 on charges of alleged financial fraud and misconduct during his time in office.
