The committal of a lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, to prison, for alleged contempt, is going to be on the agenda as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Uyo branch, holds its monthly meeting today, Friday.
The meeting was scheduled to begin by 10 a.m. in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The Chairman of the NBA branch, Ememobong Udoh, confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES, Friday morning. “I would bring in senior lawyers to help us (in the matter),” he said.
The NBA President, Olumide Akpata, on Thursday, said he was in touch with the Uyo branch chairman on the matter.
He had assured that Mr Effiong would be released “shortly”.
On whether the Uyo branch chairman, Mr Udoh, was hopeful that the lawyer, Mr Effiong would be released soon from the prison, “I am very hopeful,” he said. “We are still on it. We want to use a more reconciliatory approach to ensure that he gets out of there.
“But by law, an order of court is an order of court. If you don’t like it, you appeal (it). If we say let us file an appeal, the Court of Appeal is already on vacation.”
Mr Effiong is a lawyer to a defendant, Leo Ekpenyong, in a defamation suit in which the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, is the plaintiff.
The case is before the Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Ekaette Obot’s court in Uyo, although Mr Effiong had requested that the judge recuse herself from it.
Justice Obot, on Wednesday, sent Mr Effiong to prison for alleged contempt of court.
But the lawyer said he did not insult the judge or did anything wrong during the proceedings, besides raising concerns over the removal of a PREMIUM TIMES reporter from her court and also about the presence of two armed police officers in the court.
The chairman of the NBA Uyo branch, Mr Udoh, stated that Justice Obot had called him “sometimes ago” and requested that he cautioned Mr Effiong to “behave well” in court as a lawyer.
Mr Udoh, however, said he did not have Mr Effiong’s telephone number and could not reach him.
But a lawyer in Inibehe Effiong’s Chambers, Augustine Asuquo, said Justice Obot’s actions towards Mr Effiong have been “unlawful and reckless” since their chambers took over the defamation case.
Media coverage
The chairman of the NBA Uyo branch said the media coverage of the matter has compounded the situation.
“They are writing things up and down,” he said.
“The truth is that the press is overblowing the issue. Let them allow us to handle the matter. They have not even gone to the CJ to even hear her own side of the story.”
He said lawyers from the Uyo branch would visit Mr Effiong at Ikot Ekpene prison immediately after they rise from today’s meeting.
“We asked Ikot Ekpene Bar to stop over and see him (on Thursday), while we stay here to persuade the CJ.
“No matter what, he is our own. He should come out (from prison) first, before anything,” he said.
