Court grants bail to detained journalists in Kwara

An Ilorin Magistrate Court, today, Wednesday granted bail to detained journalists siblings, Dare Akogun and Abdulrasheed Akogun over allegedly defaming the government of Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state.

Magistrate Bio Saliu granted the bail of N500,000.00 each to the suspects, a surety each that owns property in Ilorin with their passports deposited at the court among other requests .

The detained journalists were brought to court unchained around 10.15am with sympathisers, colleagues and family members flooding the court premises.

There was a mild drama between the police prosecutor and the representative of office of Attorney General and Commissioner for justice over the way and manner the case was taken over by the office of the Attorney General before the court ruled to stop the disagreement and shut out the police prosecutor.

Representative of the office of Attorney General, Abdulmumeen Busari had asked the court to grant him at least 24 hours to study the case having just took over the matter,to enable him be in good standing to take his stand on the bail application.

Busari also said that it would be unfair on his part, if he’s denied the request because he needed to be given and be seen to be given a fair hearing in the case.

But Counsel to the defendants, Barrister Olaitan opposed the submission saying, “I vehemently opposed that application asking for 24 hours to respond.The operative word in the content of their taking over the matter is to take over and continue. So it’d either they swim or sink with whatever action that had been taken. The CP has been duly served since Monday and the 48 hrs have started running since then.”

“On the face of the motion papers today has been fixed for application of the bail to be heard so the application of the AG is ill conceived and brought in bad faith.”He said.

He also said that”On their citing the issue of fair hearing, it means opportunity should be given to both parties and once opportunity has been given and a party refuses to take advantage of the opportunity,he can’t cry foul of been denied fair hearing. The liberty of the defendants is at stake and their application is to continue to incarcerate the suspects in prison custody. Its their constitutional rights to receive the bail, so I urged the court to refuse the application of the office of the AG.”

Counsel to the defendants in applying for the journalists bail also cited Kwara state criminal justice laws and prayed the court for an order that their applications for bail be granted on Liberal terms pending the determination of the substantive case and the pending their arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction.

He premised the application on eleven grounds with 17 paragraphs affidavit deposed to, by the defendants father,Kunle Akogun and therefore urged the court to grant their bail.

He further said that the defendants have satisfied the deposition in the bail application that they would be available for the trial.

The defendants counsel also said that the prosecution was duly served in the bail application and that their refusal to file any counter is an admission of all the deposition in the bail application.

He therefore asked the court to admit the defendants to bail on Liberal ground .

Magistrate Bio Saliu in his ruling therefore granted bail to the defendants and adjourned the case to November 23,2022

It would be recalled that the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, through a petition to the Commissioner of Police accused the duo of defamation and inciting the public against the government.

Ajakaye said AbdulRasheed posted a comment on the popular WhatsApp platform, Kwara Commission, accusing government of the day of being most corrupt and of facilitating fifteen million naira to prosecute the last election of the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), Kwara State chapter.

Vanguard check revealed that during the intervention of Kwara State police Commissioner, Paul Odama,he advised that they apologise but the duo claimed that the apology could be used against them both now and in the future by the government .

The accused further claimed during the intervention that they have evidences to proof their claims, hence they are ready to press the charges against the state government, a development that made the police commissioner to order prosecution of the case.

Vanguard