Lawyer Sent To Jail For Asking Judge To Send Armed Policemen Out Of Court Room

The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obong, has sentenced a lawyer, Inibehe Effiong Esq, who appeared before her to one month imprisonment for requesting that armed policemen be asked to leave the Court room.

The sentenced lawyer is the National Legal Adviser of African Alliance Congress Party, Inibehe Effiong Esq, who was the legal representative of Leo Ekpenyong in a case of libel filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel.

Effiong in his Facebook page wrote that Justice Obong has sentenced him to one month imprisonment without committing any offence or standing trial in any matter before the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obong.

Find below the post of Effiong on the matter

“I have just been sent to Uyo prison by the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Ekaette Obot, for one month for defending Leo Ekpenyong in the libel suit filed by Governor Udom Emmanuel.

“The Chief Judge of Akwa Akwa Ibom ordered a Premium Times reporter to leave the court. I said my lord, we were thinking that since the proceeding is public, that members of the public should be allowed to observe the proceeding.

“My Lord asked me to proceed with cross examination.

“I obeyed. I informed the court that I was not feeling comfortable and safe having two armed mobile policemen seated inside the courtroom, that it was strange and that I felt unsafe.

“I applied for the judge to excuse the armed policemen from the courtroom.

“The Hon. Chief Judge then ordered me to step out of the Bar, that she was sending me to prison.

“She then ordered the policemen to take me to Uyo prison. And that I should be in jail for one month.

“I am waiting inside the courtroom for them to bring the conviction warrant.

“I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasn’t even given the opportunity to say anything before the “conviction”.

“Two lawyers in court appealed to the Hon. Chief Judge but my lord insisted that I must be jailed.

The moment my lord entered the Courtroom, His lordship ordered the orderly attached to the court to go out and bring the armed policemen inside the courtroom.

“I started feeling that there was going to be trouble. After the Premium Times reporter was sent out, I raised the issue.

“I applied to the Court to ask the armed policemen with AK47 to leave the courtroom, that it was not proper and that I felt extremely unsafe and uncomfortable.

“My lord then started writing. I thought it was going to be a ruling on my application to excuse the officers.

“Unknown to me, my lord was writing committal order to send me to Uyo prison. I wasn’t even given the opportunity to say anything. My Lord just ordered me to remove my wig and gown. That I was going to prison.

“Meanwhile, we have a pending motion for my Lord to disqualify and recuse himself from the case on grounds of bias or likelihood of bias.

“History will vindicate the just,” Effiong wrote.