Magistrate orders arrest of journalists

No fewer than 13 journalists, who were in court to report a coroner’s inquest were harassed by policemen attached to the Area F Command on Wednesday afternoon after Magistrate A. A. Oshoniyi of an Ikeja Magistrate Court ordered their arrest for disturbing the court.

Their arrest was ordered after a female prosecutor, identified as Rose raised her voice and asked journalists who were along the court corridor to vacate the place.

An argument subsequently ensued between the prosecutor and the journalists as the latter urged the prosecutor to be civil in her approach.

Oshoniyi, whose attention was drawn by the argument, ordered the immediate arrest of the journalists.

“Do you know where you are at all? Oya, arrest them all. Go and lock up all of them!” the Magistrate said.

Following the magistrate’s order, a female police officer, Mariam Joseph, swooped on Wale Busari, a judiciary correspondent with Silverbird Television, grabbed him by the clothes, and attempted to drag him away.

His resistance from arrest led other judiciary workers in the area to clamp down on other journalists, which included Francis Iwuchukwu of Peoples Daily, Henry Ojeluh of PM News/The News, Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare of the Nigerian Tribune, Solomon Asowata of the News Agency of Nigeria and Akinwale Akintunde of Thisday.

Others were Yetunde Ayobami-Ojo of The Guardian, Nurudeen Oyewole of Daily Trust, Shola Shoyele, Channels Television; Gbenga Shoyele, Nigerian Compass; Ranti Thomas, Moment Newspapers; Bisi Onanuga, The Nation; and Yemi Adebanjo, News Star newspapers.

The camera of the Channels Television camera man, who was recording the incident got was seized.

The female prosecutor, who shouted at the journalists, later arrived at the scene in company with four armed police officers.

Without asking any question, the police officers swooped on the journalists, hitting them with gun butts and dragging them on the floor.

One of the police officers, Olakekan Ajayi, allegedly punched Wahab Abdullah of Vanguard newspapers after which some other policemen followed suit and assaulted other journalists.

Later, about 10 of the journalists were forced into a police bus with number plate Lagos XJ 812 Epe.

“Because you are journalists does not make you above the law.

“I will deal with you mercilessly,” Ajayi shouted, while punching Busari.

The police officers later took the journalists to Area ‘F’ Police Command where they were detained.

Meanwhile, following the intervention of the Court Registrar, Mr. Ganiu Safari, and officials of the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch, Police Area Commander, Mr. Noah Adesoyin, later released them.

The spokesperson for State Police Command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, denied any police harassment.

He said, “If a magistrate gives an order, the police are bound by law to obey. What happens most times is that when people resist police arrest, a struggle can ensue and it may seem as if the person is being harassed. Policemen cannot just beat up innocent people.

“The Area Commander confirmed to me that he had intervened and all of them had been released.”