Supporters of Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and publisher of Sahara Reporters, allegedly attacked a journalist, Olakunle Olasanmi of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, and smashed the windscreen of his Toyota Venza at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when hundreds of Sowore’s supporters reportedly surrounded the journalist’s vehicle outside the court premises, blocked his passage and subsequently shattered the windscreen.
Olasanmi’s vehicle was damaged while he was attempting to access an alternative parking space after failing to secure a space within the court premises.
Sowore is standing trial before Justice Mohammed Umar over allegations of cyberbullying in a criminal case instituted against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
He was accused of calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal but pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Olasanmi had arrived at the court at about 11 am to cover the day’s proceedings.
After discovering that there was no available parking space within the premises, he decided to park at an extension of the court car park outside the main gate.
However, as he attempted to turn left towards the parking area, Sowore’s supporters, who were reportedly gathered in their hundreds, surrounded his vehicle and obstructed his movement.
While pleading with the protesters to clear the road so he could drive through, some of them allegedly attacked his vehicle, smashing the windscreen.
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Olasanmi later approached Sowore after he emerged from the courtroom. Sowore reportedly promised to take responsibility for the damage but allegedly reneged on the promise a few hours later.
Meanwhile, some journalists covering the court proceedings also recounted their experiences with Sowore’s supporters.
A former chairman of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), the umbrella body of journalists covering the courts, Mr. Kayode Lawal, informed his colleagues shortly after the incident that Olasanmi’s vehicle had been attacked.
“Sowore’s supporters went on a rampage this morning, smashing the windscreen of the Toyota Venza of our chairman, Mr. Olakunle Olasanmi, outside the gate of the Federal High Court,” he said.
Another journalist, Mrs. Celestina Iria, also alleged that she had an altercation with Sowore before the commencement of Wednesday’s proceedings over what she described as his persistent harassment of TVC journalists covering the case.
She said: “I confronted him about his constant bullying of TVC over coverage of the proceedings. First, the judge was to rule on the first floor on his application for recusal from the case.
“My cameraman came to take shots inside the court; Sowore started saying TVC has seen the judgment/ruling of the court, which was why they came to take his shot. He then went ahead to post the clips on his Twitter handle. The last one happened on Monday, when he accused my cameraman of pretending to record him, even though his camera lens was closed. That video also trended.”
Similarly, Ikechukwu Nnochirim of Vanguard Newspapers said he experienced difficulties driving through the crowd when he arrived at the court on Wednesday morning.
He called for restrictions on protests around the court during proceedings, saying: “I think it is about time they stopped them from protesting in front of the court whenever the case is going on. I kept honking and honking before they made way for me to pass.”
