Court Of Appeal Affirms Gov Udom’s Victory, Awards N500,000 Cost Against APC Candidate Nsima Ekere

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Calabar has dismissed the appeal
led by the APC governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Nsima
Ekere against the election of Governor Udom Emmanuel of the
PDP.

The court also awarded N500,000 cost against the
petitioners.

“APC’s case was like a decomposed corpse. The documents they
brought before the tribunal were not admissible and thus dumped at
the court.

The tribunal was right in rejecting them. The appellant did not
discharge the evidential burden on them,” the appeal court
ruled.

Details soon.

Police Arraign Young Editor, Campus Journalist over
Report on Presidential Adviser’s Factory

The Nigeria Police Force has arraigned the young Editor of
NewsDigest, Abuja-based online newspaper, Gidado Yushau and
award-winning Campus Journalist, Alfred Olufemi before a magistrate
court in Ilorin Metropolis.

They were arraigned over a petition from a company owned by the
just appointed Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on
Finance and Economy, Dr. Sarah Alade over an investigative report
on hemp smoking published on 19 May 2018.

The investigative report titled: “Inside Kwara factory where
Indian hemp smoking is ‘legalized,” was authored by Mr Olufemi, a
student journalist from one of the premier universities in the
country.

According to the report, Hillcrest Agro-Allied Industry, one of
the groups of companies owned by the former Deputy Governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Sarah Alade tolerated the
smoking of cigarettes, as well as Indian hemp by workers within its
vicinity.

The report also stated that the industry refused to respond to
Olufemi’s inquiry on the disturbing situation after he had put
several calls and text messages to the industry’s hotlines.

Police operatives earlier arrested the platform’s professional
webmaster, Adebowale Adekoya in Lagos and Gidado Yushau in Abuja
before taking them to Ilorin for further questioning. Olufemi
Alfred voluntarily submitted himself to the police later in
Ilorin.

According to the police, their arrest was based on a petition
received from the company’s management, which debunked the claims
in the publication.

However, on Tuesday, the two defendants (Gidado and Alfred) were
charged with Criminal conspiracy and defamation against Sections 97
and 192 of the penal code.

The First Information Report (FIR) obtained by PRNigeria^[1] averred that the two
defendants “criminally conspired to tarnish the name and image of
Hillcrest Agro-Allied Industries”

Both Messrs Shuaib and Olufemi pleaded not guilty before a
Magistrate Court in Ilorin Metropolis

Following the bail application made by the defence counsel,
Barrister Usman Kola Belgore, the Chief Magistrate of the Court,
Magistrate A.O Muhammed released the defendants on grounds of
recognition and that they are innocent until proven otherwise.

The conditions of bail include two sureties each who are
relatives of the defendants with a bail bond of two hundred
thousand naira(N200,000.00)

The case was adjourned for hearing on January 13.

Earlier, Messrs Gidado Shuaib and Adekoya were detained and
subsequently released by the Kwara State Police Command after they
were thoroughly quizzed for publishing the investigative
report.

The reporter of the story, Alfred Olufemi is a university
student and an investigative journalist whose works have appeared
in major news media in Nigeria.

He is a recipient of News Editor Award of the Nigerian
Universities Merit Award (NUMA) 2018, Campus journalist of the year
2018 and Investigative Reporter of the Year at the 2019 Campus
Journalism Award. One of his award-winning investigative reports
include “Kwara communities where pregnant women abandon health
centres for herbalist,” and the report on the factory belonging to
Buhari’s Adviser, Sarah Alade

By PRNigeria^[2]