Abuja lawyer handcuffed, jailed after arguing with ‘angry’ judge

An Abuja magistrate, Ibrahim Mohammed, has ordered police officers to arrest and handcuff a lawyer Eburu Ekwe Barth for challenging him on the summary of a case before the court.

The Magistrate of Court 2, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, thereafter, sentenced Ekwe to two months in prison for contempt in the face of the court.

The Abuja lawyer was then handcuffed and led out of the courtroom.

The lawyer’s crime was that he interjected when the magistrate was delivering a ruling on an application by the the opposing lawyer, a counsel present during the dramatic court proceeding told BarristerNG.

The lawyer’s ground of interjection was that the magistrate was ascribing what he never said to him in his ruling. The lawyer further queried whether there was a conspiracy between the magistrate and the plaintiff’s lawyer.

His interjection angered the magistrate and he immediately ordered his arrest and sentenced him for contempt.

Pleas for mercy made by many lawyers present during the proceedings were ignored by the judge.

The Abuja lawyer was taken to Suleja prison.