Inibehe Effiong, Human Rights lawyer and activist, has explained why he was sent to jail from a courtroom while defending a client.
Mr Effiong announced his ordeal Wednesday morning on his verified social media accounts, saying the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Ekaette Obot, gave the order while the court was in session.
The lawyer is defending his client, Leo Ekpenyong, against a libel suit instituted against the latter by the state governor, Udom Emmanuel.
Narrating what transpired, Mr Effiong said he complained about two armed police men in the court room, a development strange to him, causing him to feel unsafe.
“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,” Mr Effiong explained on Facebook. “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 which.
“History will vindicate the just,” he added.
