JUSTICE Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja on Monday barred journalists from covering the trial of six suspected coup plotters being tried by the Federal Government.
Some of the journalists had arrived at the court a little after 8am and secured seats thereafter on the last row, awaiting the commencement of court’s sitting.
Few minutes to 9am, an official of the court announced that those who were unable to secure a seat should vacate the courtroom because the judge would not allow anyone to stand when the court starts sitting.
While those without seats, including lawyers, were making their way out of the courtroom, another official of the court and a security personnel attached to the court came to where journalists were sitting and asked them to stand up and exit the courtroom immediately.
When asked why, they said the presiding judge, Justice Abdulmalik, gave them the instruction not to allow journalists inside her court.
When the newsmen told the court workers that the trial of the alleged coup plotters was of public importance and that there was no court order that proceedings should be conducted without media presence, the officials insisted they were acting on the judge’s instruction.
Shortly after the journalists were successfully evicted, the security official locked the door.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, observed that Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, later arrived at the FHC at about 10:35am, and headed to Court 6, venue of the trial.
It would be recalled that Justice Abdulmalik had, on Jan. 23, walked out a reporter from NAN from covering the two separate suits filed by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the Kabiru Turaki-led leadership of the PDP, which had now been decided by the court.
When the judge came in and saw the reporter standing by a side in the courtroom, she asked: “May I know who you are?”
When the reporter responded that he is a journalist, she ordered him out of the courtroom since the reporter could not secure a seat.
NAN reports that Justice Abdulmalik had, on April 22, ordered the remand of the alleged coup plotters in the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
The judge, in a ruling, also ordered accelerated hearing in the case.
Justice Abdulmalik equally ordered the DSS to give the lawyers and family members access to the defendants within a reasonable time.
The judge then adjourned the matter until April 27 for commencement of trial and for hearing of the bail applications of the defendants.
The order followed the arraignment of the six defendants by the AGF on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had filed a 13-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, against the defendants.
The suspects are retired Maj-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Capt. (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Insp Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, listed as 1st to 6th defendants respectively.
Although the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, is not named as a defendant in the charge, he is listed as being at large.
The defendants were accused of alleged treason and terrorism, including failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing, among other charges.
The matter in currently ongoing as at the time of filing the report. (NAN)
