By Chris Chikelue
Supporters and church members of an Awada-Obosi-based cleric, Pst. Harrison Anazodo, on Oct. 6, clashed with journalists covering his appearance at the Anambra State High Court, Awka, where he was brought to answer to criminal allegations against him.
The incident occurred as the Anambra State Government transported Anazodo to the court. Witnesses said the private vehicle conveying him drove into the court premises, while some occupants shielded him with umbrellas and their hands to prevent journalists from taking photographs as he entered the courtroom.
The supporters were also said to have pushed journalists and other persons carrying cameras, with some journalists alleging that their phones and cameras were damaged during the altercation. The supporters reportedly occupied available spaces as they escorted the cleric into the courtroom, leaving limited room for journalists and other observers.
Speaking to journalists after the proceedings, the Anambra State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, condemned the incident and said his attention was drawn to the alleged attack on members of the press and damage to their equipment.
Nweke said he raised the matter before the court, stressing that the court premises and courtroom were hallowed places and that journalists, as the eyes and ears of the public, must be allowed to carry out their professional duties without harassment.
The commissioner said he condemned the conduct, requested that the court take note of it in the proceedings and indicated that he would escalate the matter to law enforcement authorities. He added that counsel to the defendant subsequently apologised to him, the journalists and the court and accepted responsibility for replacing the damaged gadgets.
According to Nweke, the court, in a bench ruling, accepted the apology, directed that the damaged gadgets be replaced and appealed to him to let the matter rest. He said the ruling also reaffirmed the freedom of the press to carry out its duties.
Nweke further said the court ordered that proceedings in the matter remain public and accessible to journalists, warning that no journalist should be harassed in future. He added that any recurrence of such conduct could result in the trial being held on camera.
Anazodo was arrested on June 10, 2026, and is standing trial before Justice Jude Obiora on a seven-count charge bordering on alleged propagation of the accumulation of wealth through supernatural means, an act said to be proscribed under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025. The charges also include allegations of murder, abduction and unlawful separation and isolation of individuals from their families and keeping them in his residence.
Chris Chikelue is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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