A Shari’a Court sitting in Rigasa, Kaduna, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of a female spectator whose phone rang during ongoing court proceedings.
The presiding judge, Malam Muhammad Adamu, ruled that the woman would face charges for obstructing the court process.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the woman’s phone rang while the court was in session. When asked to surrender the phone to a court official, she refused.
The woman, whose name was not disclosed, pleaded with the court, explaining that it was her first time attending a court session and that she only came to observe.
She repeatedly said, “I didn’t know how the court operates; this is my first time in court.”;
Despite her plea, the judge ordered her remand, and the phone was confiscated.
Afterwards, all other attendees were ordered to switch off their phones were visibly displayed both inside and outside the courtroom.
Additionally, before the session began, a court clerk had made a formal announcement instructing everyone to either turn off their phones or put them on silent mode.
