EditorA mild drama played out in Justice Okon Abange’s court in Warri when his orderly arrested and later freed a lawyer for noise-making.
Abange is a Federal High Court judge in Warri Judicial Division. Following his action, he warned lawyers in Warri against “unprecedented noise-making around court premises,” which disrupted court proceedings last week.
During the court session and while proceedings was ongoing, some lawyers were making a noise. The presiding Judge reportedly sent his court registrar twice to warn the lawyers within the premises, but to no avail.
The judge, who found it difficult to continue with the proceedings, sent his police orderly to arrest anyone found making a noise on the corridor of the court despite the court registrar’s warning.
A lawyer was, therefore, arrested while others ran away.
The judge apparently was disappointed when he found that the arrested fellow was a lawyer but warned him before setting him free.
The law deems noise-making amid court proceedings as contempt often punishable by inprisonment.
But there was a twist to the incident when the Warri Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) subsequently issued a boycott order of the judge’s court.
The warri lawyers also went further to petition the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
However, some senior lawyers condemned the Warri NBA and commended the judge for not sending the erring lawyer to prison.
Some of the lawyers said it would be madness for lawyers to be making a noise around the court while proceedings is ongoing.
One of the senior lawyers said: “Yes the conduct of the lawyer was a clear contempt in the face of the court which under section 133/4&9 of criminal code laws of the federation where the judge is the complainant prosecutor and remains the honourable judge. Lawyers praised the judge for allowing him to go home a free person than being remanded in prison for 3 months.”
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