By Jonathan Ugbal
Augustine Asuquo Esq. a colleague of jailed human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has faulted the record of proceedings released by the Chief Judge of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Justice Ekaette Obot on her contempt proceedings that led to Mr. Effiong being sentenced to one month in prison.
Justice Obot released the documents on Wednesday after Mr. Effiong filed an Originating Motion at the Uyo division of the Federal High Court on Tuesday to compel her to release the records of proceedings more than 20 days after her judgment.
And, Mr. Asuquo, who was in Court with Mr. Effiong on July 27th, took to Facebook to say the records were defective as they did not represent the true events that occurred that day in Court.
Mr. Asuquo, who described the proceedings as “the most ridiculous epic movie,” in his post made on Thursday, quoted a part of the proceedings which shows how Mr. Effiong addressed the Court after a Premium Times reporter, Saviour Imukudo was sent out of the Court.
The proceedings read: “This is an open court. It is wrong for you to send out the journalist. That journalist has every right to make a video recording of these proceedings. I cannot continue until the phone is handed over to the journalist to continue his work.”
But, Mr. Asuquo averred that; “No sane litigant will ever make (an) attempt to utter such demeaning utterances in Court, let alone a lawyer who is a minister in the temple of justice,” and referred to those who wanted to make their findings to Mr. Imukudo whom he said has since published his, “awful experience and ordeal in Court that day.”
The release of the records of proceedings has drawn mixed reactions from people, with several lawyers pointing out that Justice Obot did not follow due process in the summary trial of Mr. Effiong for contempt as earlier claimed by the Nigerian Bar Association.
Mr. Effiong, who has spent 23 days out of the one-month sentence, is due to be released on August 26, 2022, if an appeal is not filed, heard and the committal order vacated before that time. Mr. Asuquo had said they will appeal the sentence to quash it.