ABEOKUTA-Seven journalists were
yesterday, arrested and detained at
the Ota High court premises for three
hours on the order of a judge
attached to the state High Court 1,
Ota, Ogun state, Justice N. I. Agbelu.
The detained Journalists are Daud
Olatunji(Vanguard), Samuel Awoyinfa
(The Punch), Ernest Nwokolo(The
Nation), Abiodun Taiwo(Daily Times)
, Sulaiman Fasasi(Nigerian Pilot ),
Wale Adelaja(TVC) and Johnson
Akinpelu(Alaroye).
The seven journalists arrived the
court premises by 11:44am to cover
two proceedings involving victims of
Pakoto demolition and killing in Oke
– Ore community, which were
believed to have been listed for
hearing on Tuesday at the Ota state
High Court .
As the journalists were disembarking
from their vehicles, a Police orderly
accosted them and asked them of
their mission, upon identification as
pressmen, the Police officer returned
to his duty post.
About a minute later, the Assistant
Court Registrar(ACR) – a woman
whose identity could not be
ascertained emerged and demanded
to see a letter of authorisation from
the Chief Judge or a Senior judiciary
officer permitting them to enter the
court premises.
Upon the failure by journalists to
produce the letter of authorisation,
the woman immediately went to the
judge and later came back with a
policeman, saying, the judge had
ordered the arrest of the journalists
for allegedly filming the court
premises without his consent.
For three hours from 11:45am to
2:44am, the reporters were detained
inside the administrative wing of the
court .
But a poisonous snake that emerged
from the bushy court premises and
which eventually bite a male visitor
which caused pandemonium and
apprehension, forced the judge to
send the journalists away after
reprimanding them.
Shortly before he ordered the release
of the seven journalists, Justice
Agbelu who ordered that the
journalists should be brought to his
office confirmed that he ordered their
arrest.
He said their offence was that they
invaded the court premises and
started filming the premises without
his permission.
He said “I put you under arrest. You
are under arrest. You will discover
that this compound is fenced round,
is that not so? It is not on the major
road that you can just come in . If
you are representing the public
interest, you must know we have a
head in this Court . I am a judge, I
have an unlimited jurisdiction in the
state. I can even say somebody
should be arrested without question ,
but, in exercising my power, I have to
inquire into many things.
“You cannot say because you are
representing public interest, you
cannot just burst into any compound
or burst into my house. You have a
right as a journalist, but, where your
own stops my own starts . And If I
am the owner of a house, I have a
right to my privacy, fundamental right
to privacy, because I want to educate
you. If you want to infringe on my
right that is where your own right
stops which I am entitled to.
“What I am saying is that judiciary
has its own right too. You are
infringing on our own right too. You
don’t know?
“A report came to me that some
people invaded the court claiming
that they are journalists filming the
whole place.
“It is not a local market and it not an
open market, you are approaching
the court. If you are interested in a
particular matter in a company, will
you just burst into the company,
saying you are journalists that is
what I am telling you. You don’t just
go into a place and start filming and
them say you are a journalist.
“If we said you are trespassing into
our land, do you have any defence
answer me now? I am telling you it it
not a public place I am telling you,
the court is not a public place”.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/judge-detains-seven-journalists-for-hours-free-them-after-snake-threat/