The Department of State Services and the Nigerian Correctional Service deployed a large number of heavily armed security operatives to the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday for the trial of human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore.
Journalists who arrived early to cover the proceedings reported that they were systematically barred from entering the courtroom, raising fresh concerns over transparency and media freedom in the prosecution of prominent government critics.
Sowore is facing charges filed by the DSS over comments in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as a criminal.
He was brought to the court premises as early as 6:00 a.m. following his remand on June 22, 2026, by Justice Mohammed Umar pending the hearing of his bail application.
Members of the press noted that armed personnel completely blocked the courtroom entrance, leaving reporters stranded in the facility’s foyer despite initial assurances from officials that access would be granted later in the morning.
“As I am chatting with you now, a few of us journalists are just standing by the foyer,” Sahara Reporters quoted a journalist at the scene.
Another reporter added, “We are not allowed to enter the courtroom. DSS and prison officers blocked the courtroom. The security is heavy, and they are preventing journalists from entering. Maybe they will still allow them before the court sits.”