The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom, Ekaette Obot, has sent a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, to prison.
Mr Effiong who is handling a case for his client before Justice Obot’s court in Uyo disclosed this in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
“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,” he wrote.
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“I will be going to the Uyo Correctional Centre now. I have not done anything. I wasn’t even 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,” he tweeted.
Justice Obot in previous proceedings had ordered court officials to temporarily seize phones from reporters and others in the courtroom, apparently to prevent the proceedings from being recorded secretly.