Court remands journalist who criticised Lai Mohammed

Rotimi Jolayemi, the Journalist who criticised Lai Mohammed has been remanded on the order of the Federal High Court in Abuja. This took place on Thursday. 

It can be recalled that the journalist was arrested for his Yoruba poetic song which criticised the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Justice Anwuli Chikere ordered Jolayemi’s remand after he was arraigned on six counts including alleged spreading of an audio file said to have caused annoyance, ill will, hatred, and insults towards the minister.

The judge ordered the defendant to be remanded in the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department headquarters, in Abuja, pending the hearing of his bail application.

The arraignment took place after the prosecuting counsel, Joseph Offor, announced an amendment to the charges marked FHC/ABJ/CB/104/2020 on Thursday.

As part of the amendment, the prosecution sought to add to its list of witnesses. Jolayemi’s lawyer, Soji Toki, did not oppose the request for amendment.

The accused journalist, who complained of ill health, pleaded not guilty to amended charges of six counts. The case was adjourned till June 16.

Amnesty International demands release of Jolayemi

Amnesty International, a human rights group has called on the Nigeria Police Force for the immediate release of broadcast journalist, Rotimi Jolayemi, who has spent three weeks in custody for criticising the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

Jolayemi, who anchors a Yoruba radio programme, ‘Bi aye se ri’ on Osun State Broadcasting Service and Radio Kwara, was arrested on May 5, 2020 by the police for reciting a poem which criticised the minister.

It was reported earlier that Jolayemi’s wife, Dorcas, and his two brothers were arrested and they spent over a week in police custody when they could not produce him. They were only released when the journalist turned himself in.

Jolayemi, who is the Vice-Chairman, Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, was subsequently brought to Abuja where he has remained since May 7.

Reacting to the arrests, in a tweet, Amnesty International said that the arrest of the journalist and his wife was unlawful.

“Jolayemi, a journalist was unlawfully arrested on May 6, 2020, over a poem considered critical of the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed. His wife too was unlawfully detained for eight days in squalid condition. We are calling on authorities to immediately release him,” the tweet read in part.

Journalist arrested, charged to court for allegedly criticising Lai Mohammed

The Nigeria Police Force has arraigned a journalist, Rotimi Jolayemi, also known as Oba Akewi, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

Jolayemi was arrested on May 6 over a poem, which was considered critical of Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Before the journalist turned himself in to the police, the minister ordered the arrest of his wife, Mrs Dorcas Jolayemi, and two of the media practitioner’s brothers, John and Joseph, who were all locked up for eight, nine and two days respectively.

We gathered that the police filed a one-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/104/2020 against the journalist on May 22, 16 days after he was detained.

The offence, according to the police, was contrary to section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015. The charge sheet reads,

“That you Jolayemi Oba Akewi ‘m’ aged 43 years on or another the 14th day of April, 2020 at Osola compound Ekan nka, Kwara State within the jurisdiction of this honorable Court did send a audio message through your android phone device to a group WhatsApp platform known as “Ekan Sons and Daughters” and which went viral immediately after it was posted for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, hatred and ill will go the current Hon. Minister of Information and Culture, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Culture committed an offense contrary to section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”