Despite the assurance, journalists said they were still being denied access to the courtroom as of the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday deployed a large number of heavily armed security operatives to the Federal High Court, Abuja, for the trial of presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, with journalists stating they were prevented from accessing the courtroom despite arriving to cover the proceedings.
Sowore, who is facing charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over a comment in which he allegedly described President Tinubu as "a criminal," was reportedly brought to the court premises as early as 6am, according to journalists present at the venue.
Justice Mohammed Umar had previously ordered Sowore's remand in connection with the case instituted by the DSS.
Journalists at the court told SaharaReporters that an unusually heavy security presence had taken over the court complex, with armed personnel from the DSS and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) stationed around the courtroom, preventing members of the media from carrying out their constitutional duty of reporting the proceedings.
