In the report, the journalists exposed the institution's significant revenue surplus, contradicting the rector's claim.
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.
SaharaReporters reported on Tuesday that the rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Engr. Abdul Jimoh Muhammed had used his influence to get the police to arrest and detain two journalists in Ilorin over an investigative report about how he mismanaged the school’s funds.
The duo were arraigned 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 journalists who work with Informant247 had reported that the rector lied about the financial status of the polytechnic and also inaugurated shabby and uncompleted capital projects to celebrate the school’s 29th convocation.
In the report, the journalists exposed the institution's significant revenue surplus, contradicting the rector's claim.
The journalists honoured the police invitation at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, following 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 for the defendants, Barrister A.J. 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 invited.
The prosecutor, Abdullah Sanni, reminded the court of the motion attached to the defendant charges, claiming that granting them bail might jettison police’s effort towards arresting other defendants whom they claimed were at large.
Magistrate Monisola Kamson, who presided over the matter, however, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties each, who must be resident within the court jurisdiction.
The matter was adjourned till February 13, 2024.
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 advanced copy of the process marked as Case No. FHC/IL/C5/14/2024 was served on the Nigeria 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.
Speaking on the case, the lawyer representing the journalists, Edun alleged that the state police commissioner sided with the rector against his clients.
The lawyer said the police commissioner did not allow his clients to state their side of the story when the case was reported to him.
He said, “When we got there (police station), we were shown the copy of the petition written by the management of Kwara Poly. The two suspects who were now defendants in this case went through the petition and they responded adequately to the petition.
“We were taken before the OC (officer in charge of anti-kidnapping unit). We met with him; it was initially agreed that the complaints, the defendants together with the police would go to Kwara Poly for them to see the projects which they had commissioned.
“When we got to the office of the OC, they changed the plan. They changed the agreement we had before. They went to the commissioner of police without us in their presence. That was what changed the narrative totally because we were expecting all of us to go to the CP together for him to be able to hear our own side of the story.”