An investigative journalist and farmer in Akwa Ibom State, Ibanga Isine, has raised the alarm following his eviction from a courtroom before his case was called up.
Isine, who is the complainant in the case of Commissioner of Police v. Abdullahi Yusuf, was allegedly thrown out of the courtroom by police operatives attached to the court on the orders of the Magistrate, Godwin Edemekong.
The incident followed the alleged humiliation of other journalists who had come to cover the proceedings. The leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state has since condemned the incident.
The Secretary of the Council, Nsikak Esenowo, in a statement, described the act as an assault on the principles of open justice, transparency and press freedom guaranteed under Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He called on the Chief Judge, Ekaette Fabian Obot, to investigate the matter.
Shortly after the incident, Isine narrated how he had sought justice for months following repeated invasions of his farms by herders and their cattle, which allegedly destroyed crops worth millions of naira as well as the irrigation system on the farmland.
He said that, apart from the destruction of property, farm workers were also molested, adding that on one occasion, a herder allegedly pulled out a cutlass and chased him away after invading the farm.
He recalled his efforts to petition the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, and the Commissioner for Internal Security, seeking their intervention, but said there was no positive result as the herders continued their activities unperturbed.
He said that eventually, one suspect, Abdullahi Yusuf, was arrested and arraigned.
“I was later informed by the Investigating Police Officer, Mr Emmanuel Alomona, that the suspect allegedly stabbed a police officer with a dagger while attempting to escape. If a suspect could allegedly attack an armed police officer inside the Police Headquarters, one can only imagine the dangers faced daily by unarmed farmers and rural residents confronted by violent herders,” he queried.
The complainant also expressed reservations that the police prosecutor, Mr Blessing Essien, who ought to have been providing him with information regarding the status of the case, had on multiple occasions denied him such information.
“Each time I sought information, the prosecutor explained that he was busy. It was only after considerable pressure that he reluctantly informed me that the matter had been scheduled for hearing on Thursday, June 18, 2026, and insisted that I must be present in court. Curiously, the particulars of the case were not disclosed to me until barely an hour before the commencement of the hearing.
“What is even more disturbing is that while insisting that I must be present in court, the prosecutor had reportedly already filed an application requesting the court to stand down the matter and was himself absent from the proceedings,” he said.
Isine said he had done nothing to warrant such treatment and had only appeared in response to the directive of the prosecutor and in pursuit of justice regarding the destruction of his property. He added that it was even more painful that he was removed from a courtroom where proceedings arising from his own complaint were listed for hearing.
While calling on the Chief Judge to wade into the matter, Isine also urged the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate the conduct of the police prosecutor, Mr Blessing Essien, regarding his repeated failure to provide accurate information about the case, his failure to notify him of hearing dates, and the circumstances surrounding his application to stand down the matter while simultaneously directing the complainant to appear in court.
He also called on Governor Umo Eno to ensure the full enforcement of the Akwa Ibom State Anti-Open Grazing Law and other relevant laws designed to protect farmers and agricultural investments.
Akwa Ibom: Journalist raises alarm as court allegedly denies him fair hearing in his case
