Saraki/Sahara: Police arrest 5 in court

KWARA state police command has arrested five persons over attempt to cause mayhem at the resumed hearing of an appeal by the publisher of an online newspaper, Sahara reporters, Omoyele Sowore, at the state High Court premises in Ilorin on Thursday.

The online publisher was seeking to set aside a N4bn judgment awarded against it over a series of stories published last year by the medium against the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.

Tribune Online gathered that there was pandemonium in the court when some people suspected to have come from outside the state, according to police sources, confronted loyalists of Dr Saraki, who had also gathered to witness the court session.

It was also gathered that a middle-aged woman was stripped bare in the melee while passersby ran helter skelter before the police came to restore law and order.

The police public relations officer in the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the development, said that investigation was still going on to uncover the true identity of those arrested.

Okasanmi, who said that the command had envisaged trouble at the resumed hearing, added that the command therefore decided to reinforce its normal presence on the court premises.

“We went there to maintain the peace as usual but later there was rancor and we had to deploy more men and in the process we arrested some people. As at the last time I checked we had arrested five persons”, the police image maker said.

He also said that one of those arrested claimed to be a journalist but was yet to give proper identification of his status and medium.

However, report by the online medium indicated that one of those arrested was one Juwon Sanyaolu, described by the medium as an activist.

Earlier the court had directed the appellant, represented by Stanley Ihmaruo from the chambers of Femi Falana (SAN), to file an address of service within the jurisdiction of the court to enable the respondent deliver its responses.

The court had been told by counsel to Saraki/respondent that the appellant had failed to provide an address within the jurisdiction of the court and in line with the provisions of the state high court procedures, where they could be served written responses. The case was later adjourned to October 26, 2017 for hearing of the application by the appellant.

The state high court had awarded N4billion against the online medium for accusing the Senate president of misdeeds that were not substantiated. The defendants, the court had been told, had refused to defend the case despite the service of the summons on them. But the defendant later approached the court asking that the judgement be set aside, saying he was not served.