CHAIRMAN of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, has threatened to jail journalists who write false or misleading reports about the activities of the tribunal.

Umar gave the threat on Thursday during the trial of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

Onnoghen is being tried for alleged false assets declaration.

Shortly after the prosecution and defence counsels had announced their appearance in court on Thursday, Umar asked, “Are there journalists in court?” 

He said that majority of the reports in the media had misinterpreted the proceedings of the tribunal on the last adjourned date.

According to Umar, Onnoghen’s counsel, Adegboyga Awomolo, made a remark that his client’s asset declaration forms which the prosecution sought to tender as an exhibit, appeared to be “loose”, but journalists reported that Onnoghen alleged that those forms “mutilated”

The publications, Umar said, were “mysterious, distorted facts and misrepresentation of what happened in court on that day”.

“You are lucky today. I would have used the full wrath of the tribunal to summon you and put you in prison,” Umar told the journalists present in the tribunal on Thursday.

“I would bring heaven down on them, then I would ensure that they stay there until I retire from office which is 28years from now, but i changed my mind.”