Justice Chizoba Orji of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting at Maitama Tuesday detained six Judiciary correspondents for over two hours.
Our Blueprint Judiciary correspondent can authoritatively report that the Journalists have since been released by a police on duty on the order of the Judge.
The Judge who fumed against coverage of activities in her court insisted that such must be in writing.
Justice Orji who insisted that journalists must get permission before they could cover her court immediately ordered her police orderly to seize a phone belonging to Ms.
Wumi Obabori of the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and delete all the pictures and videos in it.
The judge, still furious, equally walked out Ikechukwu Nnochiri of Vanguard Newspaper, Austin Okezie of Raypower Fm, Mr. Godwin Tsa of the Sun Newspaper, and Mr. Charles Ozoemena out of the courtroom.
It all started when the judge stood down a matter and entered her chambers to prepare a ruling.
At that point, the embattled reporter from AIT attempted to record videos for her story, only for the court Registrar to stop her, insisting that journalists have no right to cover the court.
To forestall any form of confrontation, the reporter tried to explain to the Registrar that journalists could take cut-aways (visuals) and pictures once the court is on recess.
Moment after the face-off, the court official immediately summoned a police officer attached to the judge to arrest the reporter in question.
The policeman, one Mr Gusar Dauda, who claimed that he had the authority of the judge, immediately locked the main gate to the courtroom, corked his gun and ordered all the journalists carrying out their beat jobs to surrender their phones.
Although some lawyers and litigants around the vicinity tried to intervene, the police officer and court officials stood their ground, saying no journalist would leave the courtroom except they comply with the order.
About an hour later, Justice Orji re-entered the courtroom and summoned the AIT reporter to step forward.
“Why were you taking pictures and videos in my court? Who gave you the permission to do that?”, she fumed.
“My lord, I am an accredited judiciary reporter. It is a normal practice for us to take pictures and videos when the court is not sitting, even up to the Supreme Court”, Wumi of AIT responded.
“You don’t have such right! If there is such permission, it must be in writing. Who gave you the permission? Show me the authorization?”, Justice Orji added.
At that juncture, other journalists in the courtroom stood up and took turns to identify themselves.
“I don’t want to hear from any of you. Now, where is the device you used to take the pictures and videos?”, Justice Orji queried the AIT reporter.
She then ordered her orderly to delete all the pictures and videos in the phone, ordered that the gate be unlocked and walk all the journalists out of the courtroom.
