Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji of Yola High Court in Adamawa State, has sent M. K. Tijjani, Counsel to the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barr. Hudu Ari Yunusa, to Yola prison for contempt of court.
M. K. Tijjani, who is representing Barr. Hudu, was sent to prison for insolence and dishonourable acts during court’s proceedings on Thursday.
At the court’s resumed sitting, Tijjani, refused to announce his apprearance when the case was called and turned his face the other direction.
When the judge asked him to announce his appearance, he responded rudely by telling the judge that he is not a party to the case and that during last sitting he only held the brief of another counsel.
Irked by the act of outright disrespect and profane utterances against the court, the judge ordered him to unrobe and step into witness box and explain why the court will not commit him to contempt of court.
While in witness box Tijjani exhibited same attitude which the court viewed as contempt of court and ordered that he should be taken to Yola correctional centre.
It could be recalled that during the court’s proceedings on the same case on the 23rd January, 2025, Tijjani, who announced his appearance for Hudu, attempted to record the proceedings with his mobile phone.
When the presiding judge discovered that the lawyer was planning to record the proceedings with his phone, he ordered him to stop what he was planning to do, but Tijjani, dared the judge, saying nobody will stop him from recording the proceedings.
Tijjani lashed out at the judge, saying that no law that prohibits lawyers from recording court’s proceedings with their mobile phones and that nobody will stop him from doing it.
It took the intervention of the Counsel to the prosecution, Chief L. D. Nzadon, who called Tijjani to order and pleaded with the judge to exercise patience with the action of his colleague.
