'I was Locked Up For Taking The Wedding Pictures'- Victim
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| Basketmouth mother and brother with the new couple |
On Saturday November 06 2010, popular comedian Basket mouth staged a classy wedding ceremony for his long time friend and mother of his son, Elzie Uzoma. The event held at the Giwa Barracks, Falomo Victoria Island, Lagos. But despite the huge resources deployed many of the guests came off with a not too good impression about the whole affair. The gate keepers treated some shabbily and barred many known name that came to add color and panache to the event from entering. Even family members suffered the same fate. And the reason for this development? Most of those affected including the celebrated comedian Ayo Makun- AY- couldn't find their names on the social register with the gate keepers despite flaunting invitations of their own.
Sources claim the situation was so grave that at a point the Grooms mother had to create a scene threatening to disrupt the wedding when three of the family members were denied entry.
It took the intervention of concerned parties to calm the aggrieved woman who described the gate keepers as making a non sense of her son's day with their attitude.
Globacom Director and representative of the part sponsor of the event Mr Sangowawa was not left out of the humiliating treatment.
He was said to have been denied entry along with his crew for not having his name on the register.
Sources claimed he made severally calls on his phones before he found his way in- this was despite the fact that the company he represents has three tables to it name at the event.
Sources claimed that other representatives of the other part sponsors of the wedding , colleagues and socialites weren't so lucky- they were said to have permanently made a stand at the gate or turned back in anger.
The most affected are said to be the upcoming comedians that came to honor one of their senior mentors in the industry- they were said to have remained unrecognized at the gate all through the event.
The treatment was also extended to some sector of the media.
Ogunbaje Babatunde, a photo journalist with Classic Fashion magazine was one of the affected journalists at the wedding. In this chart with First weekly, he narrates his ordeal at the hands of security operatives and how he was locked up for several hours in the police custody for daring to take the wedding pictures.
Sources claim the situation was so grave that at a point the Grooms mother had to create a scene threatening to disrupt the wedding when three of the family members were denied entry.
It took the intervention of concerned parties to calm the aggrieved woman who described the gate keepers as making a non sense of her son's day with their attitude.
Globacom Director and representative of the part sponsor of the event Mr Sangowawa was not left out of the humiliating treatment.
He was said to have been denied entry along with his crew for not having his name on the register.
Sources claimed he made severally calls on his phones before he found his way in- this was despite the fact that the company he represents has three tables to it name at the event.
Sources claimed that other representatives of the other part sponsors of the wedding , colleagues and socialites weren't so lucky- they were said to have permanently made a stand at the gate or turned back in anger.
The most affected are said to be the upcoming comedians that came to honor one of their senior mentors in the industry- they were said to have remained unrecognized at the gate all through the event.
The treatment was also extended to some sector of the media.
Ogunbaje Babatunde, a photo journalist with Classic Fashion magazine was one of the affected journalists at the wedding. In this chart with First weekly, he narrates his ordeal at the hands of security operatives and how he was locked up for several hours in the police custody for daring to take the wedding pictures.
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| The ministers and the couple |
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| Brides parent and the couple |
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| Bright mother and brother |
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| Jedi and Julius Agwus's wife |
For how long have you been practicing as a Photo Journalist
I've been practicing and covering first class events for the past four years and I'm also a photo editor of a fashion magazine.
Which first class events have you covered in recent times
By the grace of God, I've covered countless of high society events in Lagos and its environs. Some of the major ones are Gbenga Daniel mother's burial, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu daughter's wedding, Ex-President Obasanjo birthday and his daughter's wedding and I've also covered major awards in this country.
We were told that you were arrested at Basketmouth's wedding last Saturday, can you give us the full details of your arrest
On Saturday November 6, 2010, I was at Basketmouth wedding to cover the event in pictures. On getting there, I met one of my colleagues Godwin from Encomium magazine with two other reporters from the media house, Foluso Samuel and Uche Olehi. I met them at the gate and I asked them why they are not working and they told me there was an instruction from above that no journalist should be allowed to cover the reception inside the Giwa Barracks. I was told that Basketmouth have instructed the security officials not to allow any cameramen into the reception and that anybody caught with a camera should be arrested. We were told that he brought in his photographers from UK. On hearing this, I didn't even bother to proceed to the venue again.
Later on a lady identified as Funmi Okiro who was also the event planner came to us with a man and asked me to identify myself. I immediately told her that I'm a journalist and even showed her my ID card. On seeing this, she ordered the policeman to arrest me alongside another journalist beside me. We were taken to a police station and they told their boss that we are the one causing trouble at the reception. Their boss ordered them to lock us up inside the guardroom for several hours, that's when I started calling my people to let them know where I am and what I'm going through.
Did Basketmouth know about your arrest
I believe that there is no way he won't know, is he not the one that gave the order in the first place or won't they gave him feedback of his directives? But I was later told that he didn't know that we were arrested.
Were you warned not to come with the camera before the wedding proper
Not at all, we were not told not to come with the camera. On a normal occasion, we only showed them our ID card and we'll be granted access to the event. When I even get there, I showed my ID card to the Army officers at the gate and he told me to go in. I'm even within the compound and not inside the reception.
I've you witness such harassment so far
Not at all, I've never witness such embarrassment in my life even in big events that I've mentioned earlier. Nothing of such has ever happened to journalists. Not even at the ex-president daughter's wedding or Adenuga's weddings.
I've been practicing and covering first class events for the past four years and I'm also a photo editor of a fashion magazine.
Which first class events have you covered in recent times
By the grace of God, I've covered countless of high society events in Lagos and its environs. Some of the major ones are Gbenga Daniel mother's burial, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu daughter's wedding, Ex-President Obasanjo birthday and his daughter's wedding and I've also covered major awards in this country.
We were told that you were arrested at Basketmouth's wedding last Saturday, can you give us the full details of your arrest
On Saturday November 6, 2010, I was at Basketmouth wedding to cover the event in pictures. On getting there, I met one of my colleagues Godwin from Encomium magazine with two other reporters from the media house, Foluso Samuel and Uche Olehi. I met them at the gate and I asked them why they are not working and they told me there was an instruction from above that no journalist should be allowed to cover the reception inside the Giwa Barracks. I was told that Basketmouth have instructed the security officials not to allow any cameramen into the reception and that anybody caught with a camera should be arrested. We were told that he brought in his photographers from UK. On hearing this, I didn't even bother to proceed to the venue again.
Later on a lady identified as Funmi Okiro who was also the event planner came to us with a man and asked me to identify myself. I immediately told her that I'm a journalist and even showed her my ID card. On seeing this, she ordered the policeman to arrest me alongside another journalist beside me. We were taken to a police station and they told their boss that we are the one causing trouble at the reception. Their boss ordered them to lock us up inside the guardroom for several hours, that's when I started calling my people to let them know where I am and what I'm going through.
Did Basketmouth know about your arrest
I believe that there is no way he won't know, is he not the one that gave the order in the first place or won't they gave him feedback of his directives? But I was later told that he didn't know that we were arrested.
Were you warned not to come with the camera before the wedding proper
Not at all, we were not told not to come with the camera. On a normal occasion, we only showed them our ID card and we'll be granted access to the event. When I even get there, I showed my ID card to the Army officers at the gate and he told me to go in. I'm even within the compound and not inside the reception.
I've you witness such harassment so far
Not at all, I've never witness such embarrassment in my life even in big events that I've mentioned earlier. Nothing of such has ever happened to journalists. Not even at the ex-president daughter's wedding or Adenuga's weddings.