The Police Service Commission boss, Dr Solomon Arase has dragged a journalist of the International Center for Investigative Journalism (ICIR), Nurudeen Akewushola over alleged defamation.
In a statement on Friday by Ikechukwu Ani,
Police Service Commission Head, Press and Public Relations, Arase also sued an ICIR editor, Victoria Bamas and it’s executive director, Dayo Aiyetan.
The statement reads, “the attention of the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase, CFR, retired Inspector General of Police has been drawn to reports in the media that the Nigeria Police Force has invited one Mr. Nurudeen Akewushola, a staff of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) over his published defamatory reports against the person of the PSC Chairman.
“The invitation was allegedly at the instance of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC).
“It is instructive to
state that Dr. Arase had instructed his solicitors immediately his attention was drawn to the publication to act on his behalf. His solicitors in a letter dated 23rd February 2024 to Mr. Nurudeen Akewushola, Victoria Bamas and Mr. Dayo Aiyetan, the writer, editor and Executive Director respectively, all of ICIR and copies of the letters delivered to them and to the Chairman, Secretary and Members of the Board of Trustees of the company.
“In the letters, the Solicitors complained of the words written of and concerning Dr.Arase as being without justification and devoid of truth as the words were calculated to bring him to contempt, ridicule and odium. Accordingly, the solicitors demanded inter alia, for immediate retraction of the said defamatory publication within a timeline, failure of which the Solicitors notified the recipients of those letters that Dr. Arase would seek redress in court.
“Dr.Arase has by a writ of summons dated 22nd day of March, 2024 and filed 5th April, 2024 instituted at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, a civil action in Suit No. CV/1937/2024 against Mr. Nurudeen Akewushola, Victoria Bamas, Mr. Dayo Aiyetan and Registered Trustees of International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR). The matter has been assigned to a court of competent jurisdiction for hearing.
“While the Nigeria Police Force, like other security agencies, are entitled to carry out investigation of any matter which in their opinion has criminal elements, it is pertinent to state emphatically that by the pedigree of the former Inspector General of Police as a Legal Practitioner, Doctor of Philosophy in Law, and currently presiding over the Police Service Commission, he is law-abiding, and has since instituted a civil action to challenge the heinous defamatory words published and concerning him in order to redeem his esteemed reputation by seeking appropriate reliefs.
Ani noted that Arase will refrain from publicly discussing this matter in the media or in any other way unlawfully entangling it with police powers.
Recall that the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, on Thursday, expressed concerns over an invitation letter addressed to one of its journalists, Nurudeen Akewushola, and the organisation’s “managing directors” by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre.
The organisation said the letter from the police, which it received on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, was dated April 16, 2024, and the journalist was expected to report to the cybercrime centre on April 24, 2024, about three weeks before the organisation got the letter.
According to the ICIR, the police said they were investigating a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character in which the journalist “featured prominently.”
The organisation said the invitation lacked details, urging the police to rewrite its letter and provide adequate details.
It also raised the alarm about “the growing trend of the crackdown on journalists by security operatives using the Cybercrimes Act, despite a recent amendment to the legislation following public outcry that it was being manipulated to stifle free speech and harass journalists.”
According to ICIR, the police invitation to the journalist read: “You are requested to interview the Director of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) plot 625 Mission Road, Diplomatic Zone, Central Business District, Abuja through CSP Omaka Udodinma Chukwu on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Call 08067854241 on your arrival. Your cooperation in this regard will be highly appreciated, please.”
When Punch contacted on Thursday evening, the Director of the Nigeria Police Force-National Cyber Crime Centre, Uche Ifeanyi, defended the invitation of the journalist, saying there was a petition against the media house.
“There is a case against them that they have to come and answer,” Ifeanyi said. When asked why the invitation got to the organisation late, he said the ICIR was in the best position to answer that.
“They should be able to answer that question,” he told The PUNCH in a telephone interview. “Since there is a police invitation, they should honour the invitation,” he added, noting that there was no law stating that journalists should not be invited.
“There is no how they will know the details if they don’t come. If there is an invitation, it means it’s official,” he insisted without providing further details.
Meanwhile, in its statement, the ICIR said there were no details of the petition that led to the investigations for cyberstalking and defamation of character, as this would have helped the reporter better prepare for the interview with the police.
The organisation, however, said it suspected the invitation was related to an investigative report done by the journalist in question, Akewushola.
“The report indicted two former Inspectors-General of Police of corruption. One of the two former IGPs threatened The ICIR with a lawsuit and was rebuffed. We believe that the same person is now using the police, which should be interested in holding him to account on the basis of our reporting, to harass our reporter,” the ICIR said.
The media organisation, therefore, requested that a new letter be provided by the police addressing the concerns raised.
“As a law-abiding organisation that holds power to account, we are always willing to submit to accountability and would honour lawful invitations from law enforcement agencies but we have written to the police to provide details of the petition against The ICIR and its reporter and write a new invitation letter before we honour the invitation,” the statement concluded.
The latest development borders on the growing concerns of journalists’ intimidation and harassment by the police using the Cyber Crime Act.
The PUNCH reports that on May 1, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted by police officers in Lagos and detained by the NPF-NCCC for 10 days.
According to FIJ, the petition is in relation to its coverage of alleged financial mismanagement in the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
Ojukwu regained his freedom after sustained media pressure and protests by colleagues, activists and concerned Nigerians.
Before Ojukwu’s abduction, a former editor of First News, Segun Olatunji, was also abducted in March and detained for two weeks by military officials before he was later released.
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