Prison Warder Attacks Journalists In Court

Prison Warder Attacks Journalists In Court

Pandemonium broke out yesterday at the premises of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja when a prison warder, A.A. Teriba attacks and injured some journalists covering the court.

The ugly drama occurred shortly after Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye convicted and sentenced a bricklayer, Femi Adebowale to death by hanging for armed robbery.

After the proceedings, journalists, who covered the court sitting had tried to take the photograph of the convict to buttress their report but their action drew the irk of Teriba.

The prison warder, in an attempt to prevent the convict's picture from being taken, left the convict unguarded and pounced on Adebisi Onanuga of The Nation,  rough-handled and punched him on the chest and ordered him to hand over his Black Berry phone, with which he was trying to take the photograph.

In the scuffle that ensued, the warder tore his shirt and removed three buttons ‎from the cloth.

When Onanuga passed the phone to a colleague, Gbenga Adewoye  of the AIT/RayPower, Teriba turned his attention on him and punched him again on the chest in an attempt to forcibly take the phone from him.

The incident attracted various officers of the court, lawyers and security officers.

All efforts by those who intervened to settle the matter ‎were rebuffed by Teriba who boasted that he was ready to take the matter up to Abuja.

It finally took the intervention of the Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mrs. Idowu Alakija before the situation was brought under control.

It would be recalled that a Prison warder‎ two weeks ago assaulted Wahab Akinlade of federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) when he took the photograph of  Bale of Temidire village in Alagbado, Alhaji Nojeen Abioye who was standing trial for alleged murder and manslaughter.

The matter attracted the attention of Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo who chided the prison official and told him there was nothing offensive in the photograph.

Also last month, a Prison ‎warder attacked the cameramen of Silverbird Television and Mr. Jesuchri Imoni , an independent journalist for taking the photograph of two engineers of Synagogue Church, Akin. Fatiregun and Oladele Ogundeji when they were remanded in KiriKiri prison pending pending approval of bail application by the court.