An Ilorin magistrate court today, Friday, 14th day of October 2022, ordered the remand of Sobi FM’s Dare Akogun, and Fresh Insight TV’s Publisher, Abdulrasheed Akogun, at the correctional service centre in Ilorin, until the next date of proceeding, Wednesday 19th October 2022.
It would be recalled that Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, had written a petition to the Commissioner of Police, against the two, alleging defamation of character, among other charges. They were detained on Thursday, following their refusal to bow to pressure by the police to write a letter of apology, preferring to be taken to court.
Ajakaye said Abdulrasheed posted a comment on the popular WhatsApp platform, Kwara Commission, accusing the government of the day of being most corrupt and of facilitating fifteen million Naira to prosecute the last election of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State chapter.
Meanwhile, a mild drama ensued, as the Association of Kwara Online Media Practitioners (ASKOMP) and other Journalists insisted that a remand warrant must be provided before taking their colleagues, Dare Akogun and Abdulrasheed Akogun to the Correctional centre, after a remand warrant was issued, without the magistrate being on the seat to hear the case.
Some legal practitioners who were at the court’s premises addressed the press saying, it is not in line with the due process of the law, to issue a remand warrant, without being present at the court even to hear the case. The warrant was therefore withdrawn, and the case reassigned to another magistrate.
At the hearing, after the case file was taken over by the new Magistrate, the government prosecutor, Nasir Yusuf, in his submissions, prayed the court for another date of adjournment pending the determination of police investigation over the matter, while he informed the court of the motion exparte attached to the police report seeking the remand of the suspects and the eleven paragraph affidavit deposed to which was attached to it.
Magistrate Bio Salihu who presided over the matter however turned down Barrister Kehinde Eleja’s appearance for the suspects saying according to Kwara State law, he lacks jurisdiction to hear him being a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Sobi FM’s Judiciary Correspondent Kayode Adeoti reports that Magistrate Salihu, in his short ruling, ordered Dare and Abdulrasheed remand in Oke-Kura custodial centre while the matter was adjourned to 19th of this month.
1 Comment