The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State Justice Ekaette Obot has sent Lagos-based Lawyer and human rights activist, Inibehe Effiong to prison for one month for alleged contempt of court proceedings and rude remarks while in court.
Barr. Iniebehe Effiong appeared in court as counsel for Leo Ekpenyong who is facing trial over alleged libel and defamation of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Leo Ekpenyong had accused the Akwa Ibom State Governor of bribing the Chairman of the 2019 Election Petition Tribunal in the state, Justice WO Akanbi to give judgment in favour of the then PDP senatorial candidate, Obong Chris Ekpenyong in a case against Sen. Godswill Akpabio of the APC.
Narrating his side of the story during the hearing of the case Udom vs Leo Ekpenyong, Barr. Inibehe Effiong said via a live video on his Facebook account that he had earlier asked the judge to recuse herself from the case over possible bias. He said the motion for recusal was not taken by the court, only for him to be committed to prison on Wednesday.
His words “We were in court this morning and as usual the atmosphere was very hostile. I came in this morning and immediately My Lord the Chief Judge came in, she ordered some armed policemen with AK-47 to come inside the courtroom, two of them including her orderly. And then I kept quiet, and the proceedings started, and I reminded the court that I have a motion for recusal asking the Chief Judge to recuse herself from the matter on grounds of likelihood of bias which we have filed.
“The court said we should go ahead with the trial and leave the motion. The trial started and while I was cross-examining the witness of the governor, the judge ordered the journalist from Premium Times to leave the court and I said ‘My Lord, it is an open court, hence anyone that wants to observe proceedings can observe proceedings.’
“The judge now turned on me. I also raised a concern that I don’t feel comfortable having armed policemen inside the court. That I have never seen two armed policemen with AK-47 inside the court. That it makes me feel uncomfortable, it makes me feel threatened, that they should be outside. And I applied officially that the court should excuse them from the court. My Lord ordered me to step out of the bar, ordered me to derobe and said she is committing me to prison for one month for raising an observation that it is not proper for armed policemen to be inside the courtroom.
“My Lord has asked that a conviction warrant be brought. I am waiting for the conviction warrant. I am going to Uyo prison from here. I think it is also an opportunity to get to see people that are there.
“We will see how this goes. I just want everybody to know what has been happening. This case has been hostile. A lot of things have happened. Every time we come to the court, it is always one issue or the other. I haven’t done anything. I haven’t disrespected the court. I haven’t said anything to her that is personal. I just made an application that it is not proper to have armed policemen in court, the next thing she said is that I am being rude, that why should I say that, that I should step out of the bar, that I am going to prison.
“This is the case filed by Udom Emmanuel against a certain Leo Ekpenyong, a lawyer over alleged defamation. Since I got into this matter, it is as if I shouldn’t have even defended this man. We have a pending application for recusal, asking the chief judge to recuse ‘himself’ from the case. That application has not been taken. And this is exactly why we brought the application because of what has been happening. I am just waiting for them to bring the warrant. The judge has ordered them not to allow me to step out of the court, that I am going to be taken to prison from here. I am waiting for the policemen to come. You are not likely going to hear from me after now.
“We will see what happens from there. I have never seen this kind of situation before. How do you commit a lawyer to prison for making a formal application before the court? Immediately the chief judge came in, she clearly said that look today, anybody that says anything, she is going to deal with the person. How am I supposed to feel comfortable with people carrying AK-47 behind me? This is the price we have to pay for following our conviction,” Barr. Effiong narrated via the Facebook live video inside the court room today, Wednesday 27, July 2022 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Efforts by this reporter to get official communication from the Akwa Ibom State Chief Judge on the matter via her phone lines were unsuccessful as at the time of this report. Barr.
Effiong has since been moved to the Uyo Correctional Center in compliance with the court order.
