Judge detains The Nation man, six others in Ogun

Seven journalists were arrested and detained at the Ota High court premises for the better part of Tuesday on the order of a judge attached to the state High Court 1, Ota, Ogun state.

The detained Journalists are Daud Olatunji (Vanguard), Samuel Awoyinfa (The Punch), Ernest Nwokolo (The Nation), Abiodun Taiwo (Daily Times) , Sulaiman Fasasi (National Pilot), Wale Adelaja (TVC) and Johnson Akinpelu (Alaroye).

The seven were in the court premises by 11:44am to make an inquiry in respect of two cases involving victims of Pakoto demolition and killing in  Oke – Ore community, which were believed to have been listed for hearing Tuesday at the Ota arm of the Ogun state  Judiciary.

The reporters who arrived in two vehicles, pulled up quietly opposite court 1 where other visitors had packed,   and they had hardly disembarked when a Police orderly who identified himself as Adeyemi Oluwaseun, accosted them, upon identification as pressmen, the Police officer returned to his duty post.

But a minute later, the Assistant Court Registrar (ACR) – a woman, emerged and inquired in a hectoring tone about the reporters’ mission even as she demanded to see a letter of authority from the Chief Judge or a senior judiciary officer permitting them to enter the court premises.

Unwilling to be persuaded that they are journalists in the court to carry out their constitutionally guaranteed jobs, she  dashed to the judge while the court was in session and when she emerged, she said the judge had ordered the arrest of the reporters, apparently she had misinformed him that they
were filming the entire court premises.

For three hours from 11:45am to 2:44am, the reporters were detained inside the administrative wing of the court during which one of them, who was having stomach upset, almost fainted following the psychological and humiliating experiences they were put through.

But a poisonous snake that emerged from the bushy court premises and which eventually bite one of the male judiciary staff as well as causing not a small pandemonium and apprehension, forced the judge to send the journalists away after reprimanding them.

The name of the judge could not be immediately ascertained but the birthday wishes on imposing cards sighted in his office, reads N. I. Agbelu.

The judge said following the prevailing emergency, the Assistant Court Registrar had to see to the welfare of the staff to enable them attend to the emergency.

While three of the staff rushed the victim to a state hospital in Ota for treatment, others stayed behind to hunt for the snake which slipped into one of the crevices at the staircase leading to the entrance of the ACR office.

However, before the victim was rushed to the hospital, an improvise tourniquet was used to tie the affected leg at a position above the knee level while  over  a dozen incisions were also made on the leg with a razor blade to drain away the venom of the poisonous snake.

But there was  palpable anxiety when the fear – striken judiciary staff sighted the victim’s blood rushing out from the razor cuttings and which had already started turning into dark colour in less than five minutes after the bite, causing them to make haste to rush him to the hospital before a grave harm is done.

And before freeing the journalists by 2:44pm after they were herded into Judge’s office, and also spent 25 minutes lecturing them on what is public place in the eyes of the law, said the court is not a public place.

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 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.”