A heated confrontation broke out outside the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, after operatives of the Department of State Services were accused of preventing members of activist Omoyele Sowore’s legal team and associates from gaining access to the courtroom.

The situation intensified when the National Secretary of the African Action Congress (AAC), Oshiok Philip, openly challenged armed DSS operatives, accusing the agency of acting outside the law by restricting movement and allegedly denying one of Sowore’s lawyers entry into the court ahead of proceedings.

Philip argued that the courtroom is a public institution under the Nigerian Constitution and maintained that preventing members of the public and legal representatives from accessing it undermines the country’s democratic principles.

The development comes amid growing controversy surrounding the cybercrime case instituted against Sowore by the DSS. The activist and former AAC presidential candidate is being prosecuted over social media posts on X and Facebook in which he allegedly described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a criminal.”

On June 16, 2026, Justice Mohammed Umar revoked Sowore’s bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court. Sowore had earlier informed the court registry that he was present on the previous scheduled date but was told the court would not sit and subsequently requested another hearing date. The prosecution opposed the request, leading the court to revoke his bail over his absence.

Sowore also filed an application asking Justice Mohammed Umar to withdraw from the case, alleging bias. The court dismissed the application and ordered that he be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of a fresh application filed by his legal team seeking to suspend the enforcement of the bail revocation and bench warrant. The matter was scheduled for hearing on June 24, 2026.