Magistrate Bashir Vs Ughegbe

Comfort Obi

Of all the humiliations Nigerian Journalists have gone through in recent times, none compares to what happened at an Abuja Chief Magistrate court on Monday, May 17.
One of them, Lemmy Ughegbe, the Federal Capital Territory Judicial Correspondent of The Guardian, was handcuffed, like a common criminal, and ordered to be reprimanded at the Kuje Prisons, Abuja. The inglorious feat belongs to a Chief Magistrate, Mrs Zainab Bashir. I watched in bewilderment, on AIT, as a rattled, but confident Ughegbe, lamented his predicament. His colleagues, overwhelmed with emotion, were shouting, and daring the police to take him to prison. One of them, a man, was in tears, as he asked what Ughegbe did wrong to be so disgracefully treated. So, what is the story?
Ughegbe and his colleagues were in Bashir’s court to cover the proceedings of an alleged N7.5 billion fraud uncovered at the Zenith Bank. As Bashir took her seat, she sensed the presence of Journalists. Then, she hit the roof. “If you are a journalist, leave my court room. What are you people doing here? What do you want here? That was how you people messed me up three years ago by reporting falsehood against me. If you are a journalist, leave my court.” Shocked, the Reporters stood up to leave. Ughegbe was not quick enough. So, Bashir barked at him: “What are you people here for?” His answer: "Your Worship, we are here to perform our constitutionally guaranteed duty of covering the court's proceedings.” This infuriated Bashir who turned to her Legal Aide in anger: “I asked you to clear all these Journalists from the Court. Why didn’t you do that?" The Legal aide explained his difficulty. “They are in disguise. I couldn’t identify them.” This Legal aide must have been confused, or nervous of Her Worship. Disguise? Do Journalists have a uniform for them to now disguise themselves (in mufti) to cover a court proceeding? Then, Bashir did the unimaginable. As Ughegbe made to leave, she ordered her Police Orderly to put handcuffs on him. “Police, get him. Handcuff him, and take him to Prison. I am not a friend of journalists. They have reported nonsense three years ago against me. Let me teach them a lesson.” Ah, ah! A non-resisting Ughegbe was handcuffed, and pushed into the dock. Then charged with contempt of court, and ordered to be remanded in prison custody till the next day. Ughegbe’s colleagues began to protest vigorously. In his humiliation, Ughegbe was defiant. He said he was not surprised at Bashir’s action, given her antecedents. It took the intervention of a lawyer, Frank Ikpe, for Bashir to ask that Ughegbe be de-handcuffed and set free. Ughegbe was a victim of Bashir’s bottled-up anger against journalists. She said Journalists messed her up three years ago. This, then, was her sweet revenge. Here is her story.
In 2008, Chief Magistrate Bashir had, allegedly, beaten her Niece-Househelp to a pulp on the allegation that she was having an affair with her (Bashir’s) husband. When sympathisers took the girl to the Federal Medical Centre, Garki II, Bashir pursued her to the hospital, and publicly fought with her. This shameful incident was reported by national dailies. Bashir’s anger was over the reports. But you know what? If she had not allowed her anger to run to high heavens this day in court, millions of Nigerians, this writer included, would not have known that she had reduced herself to the level of her househelp, and fought in public. Now, the millions of people who watched Ughegbe’s humiliation in court, who listened to him talk about Bashir’s antecedents, on television, and read the national dailies the next day, now know her story. How low can one, at Bashir’s level, descend?. But let’s give her the benefit of the doubt. She says the report on her was false. So, questions.
Which aspect of the report was false? Did she have a niece-househelp or not? Did she beat her up or not? Was she taken to the FMC Garki II or not? If so, over what ? And did Bashir go there to fight (again) with her? Did she accuse her niece-househelp of having an affair with her husband or not? Three years ago when the story was extensively reported, did she protest the reports? If they were false, why didn’t she go to court? Or, is there anything stopping her from dragging the false reporters, and their medium to court? Bashir is a law officer, she knows what to do.Being bottled-up for three years is not one of them. And her embarrassing abuse of power is not either.
I have always wondered about women who embarrass themselves and their husbands by engaging in a public fight with their husband’s alleged mistresses. They have issues with their husbands, not with the mistresses. By engaging in public fights , they are disgracing themselves and their families. In the case of Chief Magistrate Bashir, allegedly engaging in a fight with her househelp, and beating her up over an alleged affair with her husband, is disgraceful. Did her househelp “chase” her husband? The poor girl was simply vulnerable. So, it must have been the other way round. Humiliating Ughegbe, and treating him like a common criminal, does not help her case. Now, everybody is wondering why her husband would prefer a househelp to her – a Chief Magistrate? With that comes the question of whether she is emotionally stable for the high office she is holding.
The Abuja council of the Nigerian Union of journalists, NUJ, threw that up in a petition against her to the FCT Judicial Service Commission. The NUJ is casting doubt on her emotional stability. It is querying her continued stay on the bench. It is, rightly, afraid that Bashir has become a threat to the public. In deed, the question is: If Bashir fought publicly, beat her house-help so badly that she ended up in a hospital, what type of a law officer is she? Does she deserve such a high office? The habit of Judicial officers beating up, publicly, defenceless citizens is becoming worrisome. In 2009, a Magistrate in Osun State beat up his police orderly. And few weeks ago, a Bauchi State High Court Judge not only beat up a petitioner, he tried to force him into his car booth. On the recommendation of the NJC, the Bauchi State Governor has retired him from the Judiciary. Now, this.
Chief Magistrate Bashir should publicly apologise to Ughegbe for the public humiliation meted out on him. Otherwise, Ughegbe should sue her for everything she has. We are finished as a people if law officers are allowed to behave lawlessly. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the FCT Judicial Service Commission.