Yoruba Union Petitions U.S., UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UN To Impose Visa Ban On Justice Umar Over Sowore Case, Accuses NJC Of Bias

Ikeja, Lagos State– The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorùbá, has disclosed plans to petition the United States Embassy, the United Nations, and the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, urging them to impose visa restrictions on Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over judicial misconduct and bias in the ongoing case involving human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore.

The group also accused the National Judicial Council (NJC) of failing to take action against Justice Umar despite petitions submitted to the council regarding his conduct in a criminal case filed against Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his public declaration that “Tinubu is a criminal.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday and jointly signed by its Convener, Olusola Badero, and Home Director, Princess Balogun, the union condemned Justice Umar’s handling of Sowore’s case, describing it as controversial and inconsistent with the principles of justice.

According to the group, Justice Umar has delivered several controversial rulings and has allegedly taken sides with interested parties, thereby undermining public confidence in the judiciary.

The statement read, “Justice Umar has made a lot of controversial judgments after allegedly taking sides with interested parties and has turned the Nigerian court system into what appears to be a beer parlour arrangement where judgments can be delivered without strict adherence to the law.

“It is outrageous to see a judge like Justice Umar violating the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because he sees himself as a demigod.”

The organisation further stated that Justice Umar demonstrated bias in his handling of Sowore’s case despite the activist’s compliance with court proceedings.

“We find it disturbing to see that Justice Umar is biased and not following the ethics of the legal profession. Despite Sowore appearing in court on the day fixed for hearing, Umar colluded with state actors and revoked Sowore’s bail in order to prove himself loyal to President Bola Tinubu.

“We are taking appropriate action against Justice Umar and all state actors who participated in such an ungodly act. We are writing to the U.S. Embassy, the United Nations, and the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Canada to ban their visas and place them on international blacklists.”

The group defended Sowore’s long history of activism, stating that he has spent more than three decades advocating for democracy, good governance, and the rights of oppressed Nigerians.

“Sowore has laid down his life fighting for oppressed people for over three decades. He left a comfortable life to fight for good governance and to end bad governance. He fought for the same democracy that Justice Umar and his children are enjoying today.

“He has participated in all court proceedings involving him. Yet Justice Umar, who should have been under a bridge controlling traffic, chose to revoke Sowore’s bail simply because Sowore asked him to recuse himself from the case.”

The organisation further noted that Justice Umar was absent from court on the date previously fixed for the hearing, despite Sowore’s presence.

“Justice Umar was not in court on the day he personally fixed for the hearing during the previous sitting, while Sowore was present as required. Despite Sowore writing to him to fix another date for the matter, he rescheduled the case and immediately proceeded to revoke Sowore’s bail conditions.”

The union also linked the latest development to previous legal actions involving former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.

“Since February, Sowore’s passport had been seized because former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun sued him for referring to him as an illegal IGP. Recently, Sowore recovered his passport after Egbetokun was removed from office. Now, the DSS appears to be pursuing a similar course with the assistance of Justice Umar.”

The group warned the judge against intimidation and biased rulings, threatening to intensify its international campaign if the situation persists.

“If Justice Umar does not desist from threatening people and delivering judgments influenced by personal interests, the organisation will seek to include members of his family in requests for visa restrictions across various countries. It will serve as a deterrent to others who are biased in the administration of justice.

“The little sun in the sky can still dry your clothes. Justice Umar can still reverse course and overrule the bench warrant issued against Sowore.”

The organisation also questioned reports that Justice Umar asked a lawyer to kneel before him in court.

“How can a judge ask a lawyer to kneel down simply because he feels offended? How can Nigerians obtain justice under such a judge?”

Calling for urgent intervention by the National Judicial Council, the group urged the judicial body to investigate Justice Umar’s conduct and take disciplinary action where necessary.

“As a matter of urgency, the NJC must sanction Justice Umar for misconduct and for allegedly taking sides in a matter in which he is expected to remain neutral.

“We are calling on the NJC to sanction Justice Umar and conduct a thorough investigation into allegations of misconduct and bias in the Sowore case. If this trend continues, a time will come when Nigerians will completely lose faith in the judiciary.”

The organisation maintained that preserving public confidence in the judicial system requires accountability and transparency from judges entrusted with administering justice.