Judge prohibits journalists from covering the trial of suspected coup perpetrators

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday barred journalists from covering the trial of six alleged coup plotters.

The suspects were tried by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), over an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.

Several journalists had arrived at the court at around 8:00 am and thereafter found seats in the last row, waiting for the trial to begin.

A few minutes before 9:09 a.m., a court official announced that those who couldn’t get a seat would have to vacate the courtroom because the judge would not allow anyone to stand when court got underway.

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When those without seats, including lawyers, were walking out of the courtroom, other court officials and security officers on duty at the court came to where the journalists were sitting and asked them to stand up and leave the courtroom immediately.

At that time the officer was asked the reason for this action. they said Judge Abdulmalik gave them instructions not to allow journalists into his palace.

When journalists told court officials that the trial of the alleged coup perpetrators was in the public interest and that there was no court order stating that the trial should be conducted without the presence of the media, the officials insisted that they were acting on the judge’s instructions.

Shortly after the journalists were thrown out, security officers locked the doors.

Judge Abdulmalik had on January 23 expelled a journalist who covered two separate lawsuits filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the PDP leadership led by Kabiru Turaki, which have now been decided by the court.

When the judge came in and saw the reporter standing in the corner of the courtroom, he asked: “May I know who you are?”

When the man responded that he was a journalist, she ordered him out of the courtroom because he couldn’t get a seat.

The judge, on April 22, ordered the detention of the alleged coup perpetrators in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

He also ordered the acceleration of the trial of this case.