Police arrest journalist for report against ex-CBN gov's firm

Date: 2019-10-30

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a journalist with NewsDigest, Adebowale Adekoya, over a report which seemed to be targeted against a company owned by a former acting governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs Sarah Alade.

According to PRNigeria, the report titled, 'Inside Kwara factory where Indian hemp smoking is legalised', centred on Hillcrest Agro-Allied Industry, one of the group of companies owned by Mrs Alade.

It was however learnt that Adekoya was not the author of the story but another reporter with the outfit.

Adekoya was arrested in Ikorodu, Lagos while going home and whisked away to Ilorin, Kwara State.

The story was published by NewsDigest in May, 2018.

In the report, it was stated that Hillcrest Agro-Alied Industry tolerated the smoking of cigarettes as well as Indian hemp by workers within its vicinity.

The NewsDigest's investigative journalist, in his report, further disclosed that workers smoked Indian hemp at will without being sanctioned.

It was also reported that the firm refused to respond to author's inquiry on the disturbing situation, after he had put several calls and text messages to the industry's hot line.

Lawyer to Adekoya, Yunus Abdulsalam, told The PUNCH that he had not had access to his client since his arrest.

Abdulsalam lamented that his client was arrested for another person's alleged act, adding that this was unlawful.

He said, "He is still in detention and efforts are on to secure his release. They have not even stated his crime because we haven't been granted access to him but the information we got was that he was arrested over a report in NewsDigest in 2018.

"He was not even the author of the report. That is the strange aspect of the entire saga. Nigerian law prohibits arrest by substitution."

Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer in Kwara State, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi, said the journalist would be taken to Abuja as part of investigations.

Okasanmi said, "The case is being investigated. It is a case of defamation of character. The character of a person was defamed. He was arrested and taken to Kwara. He will also be taken to Abuja as part of investigation.

"There is an element of criminality in the allegations. It is not just defamation alone. By Wednesday, we will have more information."

Reacting to the arrest, Gidado Yushau, Editor of NewsDigest, expressed shock over the arrest of his online newspaper's webmaster, describing the police's action as an "unbridled illegality."

The police have in the last one year arrested several journalists for alleged defamation, a move which has been criticised by Amnesty International and other rights groups.

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Lanre Badmus     Opobiyi     Undergraduate Bursary     Savannah Centre For Diplomacy, Democracy And Development     Abdulfatai Baakini     Salihu Ajia     Shettima     COEASU     Federal Road Maintenance Agency     Aishat Sulu-Gambari     Oba Sulaiman Asude     Olokoba Sulyman     Dagbalodo     Matthew Okedare     Saadatu Modibbo-Kawu     Kunle Okeowo     Ohoro Of Shao     Special Agro-industrial Processing Zone     Ojuekun     Dauda Adesola     Gbajabiamila     Abraysports FC     Shao     Odogun Olushola Gabriel     Na\'Allah     Suraj Tunji Oyewale     Ahmad Lawan     Minister     Hassan Oyeleke     Ita-Ore     Maimunat Oniyangi     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     A.G.F Abdulrasaq     Lanwa     Micheal Imoudu     Saheed Alakoso     Transition Implementation Committee     Abdulrahman Abdulrazak     CCT     Abubakar Atiku     Kamaldeen Ajibade     Alanamu     Isapa     Arinola Lawal     Chief Of Staff     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Lanre Jimoh     John Mayokun Dada     Kwara     Kwara Restoration Project     Ilorin Innovation Hub     Gbugbu     Kola Bukoye     KWASSIP     Diagnostic Centre     Ayekale     Isiaka AbdulRazaq     Mustapha Olanipekun     Lasiele Alabi Yahaya     United Nigeria Congress Party     Deji Ajani     Salaudeen Oyewale     Jimoh Bashir     State Bureau Of Internal Revenue     Alloy Chukwuemeka     Offa Poly     Apaokagi     Abdulganiyu AbdulAzeez     Hamidat Sulyman-Yusuf     Eleja     Akande Idowu Ayoola Muhammed     Mike Omotosho     Kwara 2023     Alumni Association Of The Federal Polytechnic Offa     Kwara Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations     Kwara State Geographic Information Service    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

A.G.F Abdulrasaq     Aliyu Alhassan     Gbenga Awoyale     Patience Jonathan     Ilorin Central Mosque     Women For Change And Development Initiative     Musa Abdullahi     Prince Mahe Abdulkadir     Naira Redesign     Donatus Ejidike     Basit Olatunji     Ita-Ore     Apaola     Vasolar     Toyosi Thomas     Ibrahim Abikan     Undergraduate Bursary     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Yusuf Babatunde Abdulwahab     Council Of The Wise     Gabriel Fashanu     Kayode Yusuf     Omu-aran     Nigeria Customs Service     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Jimoh Saadudeen Muhammed     Shuaib Jawondo     Olajumoke Monsura Gafar     Taofeek Ibraheem     Temitope Ogunbanke     Adedipe     Yomi Ogunsola     Kwara State Fire Service     Wahab Abayawo     Ahmed     Jamila Bio Ibrahim     State Bureau Of Internal Revenue     Tunde Akanbi     Olusegun Adeniyi     SAPZ Project     Taofeeq Olateju     Olatinwo     Alao Ayotunde     Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union     David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Onilu     Shaykh Luqman Jimoh     Saudat Abdulbaqi     Kwasu     AIT Ilorin     Plat Technologies     Iyaloja-General     Sheikh Ariyibi     Albert Ogunsola     Ibrahim Mohammed     Sheikh Ridhwanullah El-ilory     Chief Imam Of Omu-Aran     Press Release     Imam Gambari     Olatunde Jare     N-Power     Mohammed Alabi Lawal     Oke-Ogun     Moji Makanjuola     PharmAccess Foundation     Adamu Ibrahim Sabi     Yahaya Jibril Usman     Mazars Consulting     Balogun-Ojomu     Lithium Deposit     Salman Jawondo     PAACO-PCL Consortium     Kwha.gov.ng     Mohammed Jimoh Faworaja     Oniwa     Olupako     Abdulfatah Ahmed