By Daud Olatunji

ABEOKUTA—CONFUSION, yesterday, engulfed the Customary Court sitting in Agbe’loba area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when men of the Nigerian Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, clashed over a court judgment.

The judgment was in a case involving Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi and his alleged ex-lover, Iyabo Adedotun over who should take custody of their eight-year-old daughter, Samiat.

Adedotun, an NSCDC official had filed a suit in the court alleging threat to her life by the Speaker.

She accused the Speaker of failing in his responsibilities on the only child, Samiat, produced by their relationship and that he prevented her from marrying another man.

While Adedotun had prayed the court to restrain the Speaker from stopping her from marrying   another man of her choice, the Speaker requested the girl be placed in his custody.

But at the court sitting yesterday, the three-man panel unanimously ordered the return of the child to the custody of the Speaker.

The court also set aside their relationship which had lasted for 10 years and ruled that all parties to the case are allowed to marry any person of their choice.

A mild drama, however, ensued when the verdict was delivered, as the complainant (Adedotun) resisted and engaged in altercation with the  court officials, alleging that they were compromised by the Speaker.

The court became rowdy as the   complainant and an unidentified NSCDC officer, who had accompanied her, attempted to stop the court officials from handing over the child to the Speaker, who left the premises immediately after the judgment.

A police officer within the court premises was seen making phone calls   inviting   his colleagues from a nearby police station while the NSCDC officers also contacted their colleagues who also stormed the court.

The situation got rowdy as attempts by policemen to arrest the NSCDC official for daring to stop the execution of the court judgment  were resisted.

The policemen fired gunshots to scare away the crowd and later succeeded in whisking away the NSCDC official.

In his reaction, the Speaker in a statement explained that he was in court over what he described as a legal issue.