By Dare Akogun
A magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has granted bail to the Vanguard Newspaper correspondent in the state, Demola Akinyemi, who was arraigned for alleged criminal conspiracy, defamation, and falsehood.
Akinyemi was arraigned before Magistrate Balkis Baraje by the police prosecutor, Corporal Abdulraheem Musa, following a petition by an Ilorin-based trader, Alhaja Mariam Babatunde Arolahun.
The trader had alleged that Akinyemi published a false story in the Vanguard online medium on January 30, 2024, titled “Kwara market women threaten to protest naked over colleague’s mysterious death”, which defamed her character.
The prosecutor had urged the court not to grant Akinyemi bail, saying the police had not concluded their investigation and that he might jump bail.
However, Akinyemi’s counsel, A.C. Okafor and H.A. Musa, argued that the offences were minor and assured the court that their client would not jump bail.
Granting the bail, Magistrate Baraje said: “Bail is at the discretion of the court and should be used judiciously. The defendant is innocent until proven otherwise by the court.”
Akinyemi was granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, one of which must be a close relation to the defendant.
The case was adjourned until May 20, 2024, for the commencement of hearing.
