Sowore confronts security operatives in court: ‘Do I look like Yahaya Bello?’

Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), clashed with security operatives who attempted to block his entry into the Federal High Court in Abuja. The officers from the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were stationed at the court during the trial of former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello, who is facing allegations of money laundering and misappropriation of public funds. In a video shared on his X account, Sowore confronts the security officers and questions their authority to prevent him from entering the court premises. “Why are you shouting at me? Do I look like Yahaya Bello?” Sowore demanded. “I have business in court. I don’t need to be cleared by either the police or EFCC because none of you is an officer of the court.” 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 He further accused the officers of colluding with Nigerian leaders to undermine the judiciary, stating that their presence at the court was unwarranted. “This is a Federal High Court; bring a court official, and I will talk to them. EFCC brought me to court, and they are still harassing us. “You have no right to stand in front of the high court. You are not my lawyer and have no right to know my case,” he asserted. Despite their initial resistance, the officers eventually allowed Sowore to enter the court premises after a police officer instructed his colleagues to stand down.