NUJ blasts Ogun judge for arrest, detention of seven journalists

…Tyranny, arbitrariness creeping into judicial system, council alerts NJC, others

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NIGERIA: THE umbrella body of jounalists in Ogun State on Wednesday took a swipe at an Ota High Court Judge, Justice Nasiru Agbelu, for ordering the detention of seven of its members.

The state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) said that the action of Agbelu was “impunity of the highest order.”

It, therefore, alerted the National Judicial Council and other relevant authorities that by Agbelu’s discretion they need to “see to tyranny and arbitrariness which are gradually creeping into the judicial system,” adding that they must “forestall a situation where the highly revered institution would become an object of ridicule in the public eyes.”

Agbelu on Tuesday ordered the detention of seven journalists – the Daud Olatunji (Vanguard), Samuel Awoyinfa (The

Punch), Ernest Nwokolo (The Nation), Abiodun Taiwo (Daily Times), Sulaiman Fasasi (Nigerianl Pilot), Wale Adelaja (TVC) and Johnson Akinpelu (Alaroye) for over three hours – claiming that their offence was entering the court to cover the proceedings without authorisation.  They were detained from 11:45am and allowed to go at exactly 2:44pm.

The representatives of the media houses were in the court to cover a case involving an alleged land speculator, Mutairu Owoeye over the murder of 19-year-old boy, Bidemi Akinde, during land dispute at Oke-Ore community in Ado-Odo/Ota local government area.

The council in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Comrade Wole Shokunbi, and Secretary, Comrade Soji Amosu, condemned the judge, while informing him that the detained journalists were in the court as part of their reportorial responsibilities to the society.

“The journalists are not criminals, they have only gone to perform their assigned roles to the society; what then could have been responsible for such ill-treatment of our members,” the council said.

While saying that the judge’s action could elicit suspicion about court proceedings, the NUJ reminded Agbelu that courts, no doubt, are public places that journalists could go to source for news without restriction.

“When did tyranny and arbitrariness become the order of the day in the court which is not only supposed to be the hope of the common man, but also the frontier in championing fundamental human rights,” the NUJ queried.

The council that was further peeved by the judge’s action added: “With the arrest and the detention, the judge has not only trampled on the rights of the journalists to perform their duties to the society but also on the people’s right to know.”

The judge incurred the wrath of the council when, while detaining the seven journalists, claimed that since the court’s premises had been fenced it had become a no-go area as public place, hence the journalists were precluded from entering without approval.

Gatewaymail learnt that earlier on arrival at the court, the journalists were accosted by a police orderly who screened them, but few minutes later, a woman Assistant Court Registrar came to question the reporters on their mission.

She asked for a letter from the chief judge or a senior judicial officer that granted them permission to enter the court premises, with the reporters justifying their action on constitutional responsibilities to report the case in the public interest.

The woman left and returned later to inform the reporters that Justice Agbelu had ordered their arrest for filming the court premises.

The judge, while justifying his action, told the journalists: “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.”

Agbelu added:  “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.”

The judge continued: “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 is 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 then 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 is not a public place I am telling you, the court is not a public place.

While still reeling out the justification for the detention, pandemonium ensued when a male worker of the court was bitten by a snake.

As apprehension gripped the court premises, the judge sent the journalists away after reprimanding them, while the Assistant Court Registrar was busy attending to the injured staff who was later rushed to the state hospital Ota for treatment.