This massage was like a raging fire that consumed my mind. Throughout the weekend, thought about the new beat enslaved my mind. It lead me into a dreamy retrospection of the meeting where the beat was assigned to me.
Fellow journalist were seated on the conference table paying heed to be the editor. It was at the regular editorial conference where editor announce beats for the reporters. With the sense of sanctity and seriousness, he read through the list and came to the last name where he turned to me, probed my face and started reading again. Emeaba, you have been assigned to cover court and police.
I chuckled as he rounded off the meeting. I wanted to talk but nothing came to my mind. I was only left in a puzzle about the assignment of this specialized beat. The court and police beat, as important as they are tend to scare journalists as they are said to be fraught with danger.
However, I could not think much about the beat until the weekend, precisely Sunday, when I started preparing for the new beat. As I set my mind on the new assignment, I momentarily reflected on the inherent dangers of the beats.
I remember what we were taught in school that a journalist covering court and police can write himself into trouble. The following day, I woke up with an avowed determination to excel in the beat. As to demonstrate my desire to succeed, I chose one of my best suits to wear for the challenging assignment. However, I warned myself that I needed to be cautious with the way I go about it.
One unique aspect of my assignment was that I was covering my news beats in Port-Harcourt from Aba, so, as I was to go, I boarded a good vehicle from the bus Treminus in Aba. I Aba early enough in other to arrive in Port-Harcourt by about 9.00am session.
At exactly 8:00am, my vehicle made it to Eleme Junction in Port-Harcourt. So there we were caught up in the usual traffic jam of Aba Road. We tried to beat the traffic hold up to no avail despite the recklessness exhibited by the driver, his effort to drive through proved abortive and we got to the park by 11:00am before I could pick another vehicle to the court. The time had been fast spent and in fact it was already noon.
First impression they say matters a lot in any assignment. So, I wanted my first outing in my beats to be spectacular. As a means of achieving this, I wanted to start with a visit to the Chief Registrar. The Port Harcourt Judiciary complex is very big. It is a vast area that comprises various magistrate courts, State High Courts and Administrative Offices. As a new person, I needed a lead to the Chief Registrar’s Office.
It was at this point that I encountered lawyers with their pomposity. I had reasoned that lawyers should not be carried away with their sense of pride that they will not relate with someone finding his way in such a place, of course, some of the people I encountered were good assistance while others just exposed their ignorance of the place, but as a journalist, I was able to get to my destination.
The Chief Registrar was not in the office, so I had to wait for some time. It was at the place of waiting the “big Oga” that I discovered that everybody is as important as any other person. People were walking in and out to solicit for other people’s assistance.
However, while I am ready to relate every bit of my experience, money changing hands in the process of people soliciting for one assistance of the other, should not be part of it. I spent the first day without actualizing my objective. Disappointed the day the first day ended. I never bother to repeat a visit to the Registrar’s Office. All I did was to commence my actual coverage of the beat by visiting the court and reporting arguments of the self-acclaimed learned gentlemen.
In some of the courts I visited, I discovered that my presence created some suspicion. It is a public place where anybody can enter and hear from assignments. In some cases I had to make my identity known to the court clacks though some of them resented my present.
Police reporting is not equally an easy beat. One must acquaint oneself with in depth information about the system. I know that lack of care could result in libel suits with the corresponding consequences. This knowledge informed my brief visit to the Rivers State Police Command Mosco Road, Port Harcourt.
The place was a bee-hive of activities. The ranks and file of the force where there with officers all seriously engage with their duties. The office of the Public Relation Officer, Uche Chukwu (PHD) was particularly so busy that one could think the activities in the command revolves around the image maker. Without seeing Dr. Chukwuma before, one would, judging from his PHD and the way people were trooping in and out of his office, take him to be one stoutly built, potbellied difficult man.
But the man was different from my assumption, as I was ushered into his office, I met an intelligent young man. After my chat with him, he assured me of regular information that would help in keeping the society crime fee. The PPRO , like other policemen, happened to be careful in relating with me. It is interesting to be a police and court reporter
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