A Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, yesterday ordered two journalists to be remanded at Oke-Kura Correctional Centre over allegations of defamation.
Dare Akogun and Akogun Abdulrasheed were earlier charged with defamation by the Kwara State police command after a failed effort to coerce them to retract an allegation of corruption they reportedly made against an official of the state government.
The Association of Kwara Online Media Practitioners (ASKOMP) has earlier on Thursday accused the Kwara state police command of bias saying the Commissioner of Police, CP Paul Odama tried to force the journalists to write an apology in response to the petition written by Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State, Rafiu Ajakaye accusing them of defaming him.
In reaction to their arrest and detention, Media Rights Agenda(MRA), a media advocacy group yesterday called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, to put an end to the incessant practice whereby politicians, government officials, and other powerful individuals use the police to shield themselves from scrutiny or criticism and to harass or intimidate journalists and media organisations reporting on their activities.
In a press release signed by Mr. Ayode Longe, the group’s Director of Programmes, MRA said Mr. Akogun was invited by the police by a letter dated October 7, 2022, requesting that he meet with the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Police, Steve Yabanet, on October 13, 2022, at 11 am claiming the command was
investigating a case of inciting disturbance, injurious falsehood, and criminal defamation against Mr. Akogun
.
However, when Mr. Akogun honoured the invitation on October 13, he was asked to write a letter of apology to the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, who had petitioned the state Police Command, asking it to investigate and prosecute Mr. Abdulrasheed Akogun and Mr. Dare Akogun for alleged criminal defamation against him.
The spokesman of the Governor had claimed in the petition that the two men committed the offense through their WhatsApp posts on September 30, 2022, in which they accused him of facilitating the use of over N15 million in public funds to prosecute the last chairmanship election of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Without ascertaining the veracity or otherwise of the report, when Mr. Akogun arrived at the station, accompanied by his lawyer, Mr. Taiwo Olaitan, the Deputy Police Commissioner asked him to write a letter of apology to the Chief Press Secretary. Mr. Akogun, however, declined because it would amount to admitting to the charge of injurious falsehood and criminal defamation, whereupon the Deputy Police Commissioner ordered that he should be detained.
MRA described the action of the police as unlawful, abuse of power and office, “It is embarrassing that the police now consider it as their primary function to protect the reputation of political office holders, politicians, and other powerful individuals and misusing their coercive powers to play this role. The Inspector-General of Police should immediately call his officers to order and advise them to desist from making themselves tools in the hands of the rich and powerful.” Said the statement
The group called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Akogun.
Dare Akogun and Abdulrasheed Akogun were arraigned in a magistrate court yesterday for allegedly defaming and inciting the public against the government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. During the sitting, the prosecutor, Nasir Yusuf, informed the court that the police investigation over the matter is still ongoing, praying for another date for adjournment.
Magistrate Bio Salihu who presided over the matter granted the prosecutor’s application and remanded the accused at Oke-Kura Correctional Centre while the matter is adjourned to 19th of October 2022
