Defamation: Court refuses application to remand Kwara Vanguard correspondent

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ilorin on Wednesday granted bail to Deacon Demola Akinyemi, the Kwara State Correspondent of Vanguard Newspapers.

He faced charges of alleged criminal conspiracy, defamation, and falsehood leveled against him by Alhaja Mariam Babatunde Arolahun, a trader based in the popular Oja-Tuntun market in Ilorin.

Arolahun had petitioned the police, accusing Akinyemi of criminal conspiracy, defamation, and falsehood over a publication in the newspaper’s online medium titled “Kwara market women threaten to protest naked over colleague’s mysterious death,” published on January 30, 2024.

The incident stemmed from an altercation between Arolahun and another trader, Medinat, over a shop allocated to them by the authorities of the Ilorin West local government. Medinat later died, leading to the publication of the story and the subsequent police petition by Arolahun.

The police invited Akinyemi and arraigned him before the Magistrate’s Court in Ilorin on Wednesday. The prosecution, represented by Corporal Abdulraheem Musa, opposed bail, citing ongoing investigations and the risk of the defendant jumping bail. The defense counsel, A. C Okafor and H A Musa, argued that the charges were minor and assured the court that Akinyemi would not jump bail.

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After hearing both sides, the presiding magistrate, Balkis Baraje, granted Akinyemi bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, one of whom must be a close relation to the defendant. The case was adjourned till May 20, 2024, for the commencement of hearing.