UYO: A Nigerian human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effion, who is known for his outspoken nature on issues that catches his fancy has been jailed by a court in Uyo Akwa Ibom State for raising objections during a court proceeding.
This was disclosed by Effion in a tweet thread on Wednesday where he alleged that the presiding judge ordered police officers present in court to take him into custody and send him to serve a month prison term.
He alleged that the order was made by the judge when he “applied for the judge to excuse the armed policemen from the courtroom” as their presence made him “strange” and made him feel “unsafe”, he said.
Effion tweeted that he informed the judge he was “not feeling comfortable and safe having two armed mobile policemen seated inside the courtroom”, thereby prompting the judge to order his arrest and imprisonment for one month.
This according lawyers was also after the same judge earlier ordered a journalist out of the court room, which Effion objected to.
Notable Quotes:
In the tweet, Inibehe Effion said the following:
“The Chief Judge of Akwa Akwa Ibom ordered a Premium Times reporter to leave the court. I said my lord, we were thinking that since the proceeding is public, that members of the public should be allowed to observe the proceeding. My Lord asked me to proceed with cross examination,” the tweet reads.
“I obeyed. I informed the court that I was not feeling comfortable and safe having two armed mobile policemen seated inside the courtroom, that it was strange and that I felt unsafe. I applied for the judge to excuse the armed policemen from the courtroom.
“The Hon. Chief Judge then ordered me to step out of the Bar, that she was sending me to prison. She then ordered the policemen to take me to Uyo prison. And that I should be in jail for one month. I am waiting inside the courtroom for them to bring the conviction warrant.
“I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasn’t even opportunity to say anything before the “conviction”. Two lawyers in court appealed to the Hon. Chief Judge but my Lord insisted that I must be jailed.
“This is in the suit filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel against a lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong, for alleged defamation.”
Background:
Inibehe Effion said in the tweet that he was appearing in court as the defense counsel for another lawyer – Leo Ekpenyong, in a libel suit brought against him by Udom Emmanuel, the governor of Akwa Ibom State.
According to the tweet, the judge who gave this order for his imprisonment for one month is the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaette Obot.
