Six Judiciary Correspondents were on Tuesday, detained for over two hours in Court 9 of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, while exercising their duties.
Justice Chizoba Orji, who was put on notice, insisted that journalists must get permission before they could cover her court.
She consequently ordered her Police Orderly, Gusar Dauda, to seize the phone belonging to Wumi Obabori, of the Africa Independent Television, AIT, and delete all the pictures and videos in it.
Other reporters involved are Godwin Tsa of the Sun Newspaper, Ikechukwu Nnochiri, of Vanguard Newspaper, Augustine Okezie of Raypower Fm/AIT and a veteran journalist, Charles Ozoemena.
The drama kicked off shortly after the judge went on recess.
AIT’s reporter attempted to record videos for her story as usual, when a female Registrar of the court pounced on her, insisting that journalists have no right to cover the court.
Efforts were made by the reporter to explain to the Registrar that journalists could take “cut-aways” (visuals) and pictures, once the court is not in session, which had no effect, as the court official immediately summoned a police officer attached to the judge to arrest the reporter.
The police orderly, Gusar Dauda, who claimed that he had the authority of the judge, swiftly locked the main gate to the courtroom and went for his firearm, while ordering all the journalists to surrender their phones.
Some lawyers and litigants, who were still in the courtroom, attempted to calm the situation, but the police officer and court officials refused to allow the journalists to leave the courtroom, without complying with the order.
After a disagreement that lasted over one hour, Justice Orji re-entered the courtroom and summoned the AIT reporter, and told her that no journalist has the right to take recordings in her courtroom.
At that juncture, other journalists in the courtroom stood up and took turns to identify themselves.
Justice Orji then ordered her orderly to delete all the pictures and videos on the phone, after which she told the court official to unlock the gate and walked all the journalists out of the courtroom.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
