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Hammed Olamilekan, the blogger detained over an article written on the alleged criminal past of the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has been released on Thursday.
The PUNCH gathered that the blogger, popular as Labash, who appeared before the Federal High Court 1, Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, was released after spending 138 days in detention.
His lawyer, Habeeb Whyte, confirmed his release to The PUNCH in a phone conversation.
“Yes, he has been released. The case was struck out,” he said.
The blogger was arrested mid-may. The lawyer who was earlier handling his case, Festus Ogun, had said that Olamilekan was detained on Friday, May 13, after he honoured an invitation by the Ogun State command of the secret police.
He accused Governor Abiodun of instigating the blogger’s arrest, adding that Abiodun had the right to challenge the publication in court instead of using the Department of State Security Services to harass the reporter.
However, The PUNCH also reported that the Ogun State Government denied Governor Abiodun’s involvement in the blogger’s arrest.
However, Labash’s lawyer, Ogun, had insisted on the governor’s involvement, as he released a document reportedly forwarded to the Ogun State Police Command by the State Security Services, where the governor was linked to the blogger’s arrest.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Whyte also confirmed that the blogger was arrested and tried over his report on Abiodun. According to him, he was charged for the “derogatory news on his website that touches on the person of the governor.”
Until Thursday, Labash was detained at the Ibara Prison in Abeokuta.
