Court grants two detained Kwara journalists bail

By Biola Adebayo On Feb 7, 2024

Court , bail, Kwara Poly, journalists, police, — Court grants two detained Kwara journalists bail

A magistrate court sitting in Ilorin on Wednesday granted bail to The Informant247’s Editor-in-chief; Salihu Ayatullahi and Managing Director; Adisa-Jaji Azeez.

The two senior staff of the investigative medium were docked following a petition by the Rector, Kwara State Polytechnic, Engr Abdul Jimoh Muhammed

SOLACEBASE reports that the defendants were dragged before Magistrate Monisola Kamson on Wednesday on the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, and injurious falsehood contrary to sections 27(1) B, 24(1)(B) of the cybercrime (prohibition and prevention) act, 2015 and section 393 of the penal code.

The Informant247 had earlier reported how both journalists had honored the police invitation at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 over a petition that originated from the Rector.

Ayatullahi and Adisa-Jaji were later detained at the police headquarters in Ilorin and subsequently charged to court on Wednesday to face trial.

At the resumed proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Barrister Abdulkadir Jimoh Edun, urged the court to grant his clients bail on liberal terms premising his reasons on the fact that they honoured police invitation when they were called and detained from the moment.

The prosecutor, Abdullah Sanni, reminded the court of the motion exparte attached to the defendant’s charges, claiming that granting them bail may jeopardize police effort towards arresting other defendants whom they claimed are at large.

Magistrate Monisola Kamson, who presided over the matter however granted the defendants bail in two hundred and fifty thousand naira and two sureties each in which they must be resident within the court jurisdiction while the matter was adjourned till the 13th of this month.

Meanwhile, the chief editor and managing editor of The Informant247 had earlier approached the Federal High Court seeking protection of their fundamental human rights to press freedom and liberty.

An advance copy of the process marked as Case No. FHC/IL/C5/14/2024 has been served on the Nigerian Police, Kwara State Command.

The Commissioner of Police Kwara State, CP Victor Olaiya, OC in Charge of Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Cultism Section, and Rector of Kwara State Polytechnics Ilorin have been joined as first, second, and third respondents respectively in the mentioned case.

The arraignment of the two journalists was in connection with an investigative story published by The Informant247 medium on February 2, 2024, on the Kwara Polytechnic Rector Engr. Abdul Jimoh made false claims about the institution’s financial status and commissioned shoddy and uncompleted projects.