Boko Haram trial: Journalists sent out of courtroom

The journalists, who were at the Lagos Federal High Court, yesterday,
to cover the arraignment of the alleged 17 members of Boko Haram were
greeted with humiliation and threat from men of the Department of
State Services, DSS, that escorted the accused persons.
The journalists were sent out of the courtroom by the armed security
operatives and one of them threatened to arrest the journalists if
they resist.
A senior DSS officer told newsmen that the directive to keep them away
from the arraignment of the suspected Boko Haram members was from the
Presidency.
Other litigants were equally barred from the courtroom. When the Boko
Haram case was called, some lawyers were implored to leave the court,
this, it was gathered, was due to the small size of the courtroom.
However, the arraignment of the suspected Boko Haram members, which
had suffered two adjournments on October 2 and 9, due to lack of
interpreter and the absence of the trial judge, respectively, could
not go on yesterday.
This was beacause the first to fifth accused persons namely (Ali
Mohammed, Adamu Karumi, Ibrahim Usman, Bala Haruna, Idris Ali) did not
have legal representation.
Presiding judge, Musa Kurya, adjourned the matter till November 27,
for the arraignment of the accused persons.