24th October, 2013
There was pandemonium at the Federal High Court, Lagos, western Nigeria, Thursday morning when armed operatives of the State Security Services, SSS, threatened to shoot journalists covering the arraignment of 17 suspected Boko Haram members.
The SSS men claimed they were acting on instruction from the Presidency to deal ruthlessly and decisively with any journalist found within or outside the court premises.
When the suspects were brought to court, journalists who were performing their duty were ordered to leave the court premises along with others who had come to court to witness the trial.
One of the SSS men told a journalist who identified himself: “It is even good that you identified yourself as a journalist, it would have been dirty because there is clear instruction from the Presidency that no journalist should be allowed to cover the proceedings.”
A journalist at the court premises, who tried to explain himself to the SSS operatives that covering court proceedings is not illegal, was warned that he would be arrested.
Another SSS operative who intervened said that any journalist who proved stubborn should be shot.
At this juncture, four of the armed SSS operatives corked their guns and threatened to shoot at anybody.
In the ensuing melee everyone present including the journalists took to their heels.
The suspected terrorists had been brought to court on three occasions.
Their arraignment was stalled on those three occasions because there was no interpreter, and some of the accused persons claimed that they are not literate and they do not understand English language.
In a charge filed before the court against the 17 accused terrorists, it was alleged that sometime on 24 March, 2013 at different locations in Lagos, namely 69, Lekki Phase 1; and 24, Oyegbemi Street, Ijora Oloye, the suspected terrorists were alleged to have conspired among themselves to commit felony to wit, act of terrorism by having in their possession explosive materials namely: three packs of explosive construction pipes, 15 detonation devices, 11 AK 47 rifles magazines loaded with 3,000 mls ammunition, and 200 rounds of 7.62m live mmunition.
Other items allegedly found in their possession include two suit cases containing explosives; 1 HD laptop, one red Volkswagen Golf car with registeration number SMK 427 AZ, Lagos, meant to transport the explosives, thereby committed an offence contrary to section 17 of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013 and punishable under section 17b of the same act.
As at the time of filing this report, the trial was still ongoing.
—Akin Kuponiyi