Although I have read about the victimization of journalists and the repressive attacks on press freedom, last week added to my first-hand experiences of the travails of journalists, particularly some of us who have decided to ply the dreaded route of investigative journalism.
It was hectic journeying to two states just to respond to invitations from two judicial institutions. One was to continue proceedings in a magistrate court in Kwara state and another is the invitation from the Zonal headquarters of the police in Osogbo, Osun state capital over reports written in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Preamble
I had always expected these would come someday but I did not envisage that they would come this early. Kunle Ajibade’s life imprisonment sentence, Dapo Olorunyomi’s exile, the detention of Babafemi Ojudu without trial and many more are documented testimonials of the hazards that come with critical reporting.
I was about writing my final exams at the Obafemi Awolowo University when I received my first summon by the police operatives in 2019. It was owing to a critical report detailing how the smoking of Indian hemp was permitted in the premises of a rice factory, a subsidiary of HillCrest Agro-allied industry owned by Sarah Alade, a former CBN chief and an Economic Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari. The story was published on NewsDigest, a news platform I once wrote for as a student journalist, in 2018.
I responded to the summon after consulting Alhaji Yushau Shuaib, the owner of Image Merchant Promotions, Idris Akinbajo, my editor at Premium Times and some other distinguished colleagues. I was quizzed by the police and after I refused to disclose some vital sources, myself and Gidado Yushau, the young editor, were billed for arraignment the following week. I stood by the story as the author and Gidado Shuaib, NewsDigest editor, also vouched for the credibility of the story.
It was a case of defamation of character which I vehemently denied during the first court appearance last year. Since the case is already with a competent court of law, I would not like to speak more about the proceedings and some of my reservations.
Court experience
However, the second appearance, which was on Monday, 13th of January 2020, came with a twist. Since we are already undergoing criminal prosecution in the magistrate court, we had expected that the complainant would await the verdict of the court but No! The company had filed another lawsuit at the Kwara state high court, requesting for 500 million-naira damages amongst other things.
Gidado, who received the writ of summon as a co-defendant adjusted his cap upon the sight of the demands of the company. Of course, it was mouth-gaping but I was not too surprised trusting some of our pieces of evidence and logical arguments. Meanwhile, on a lighter note, I do not think I can raise two hundred thousand nairas from my personal savings at that moment let alone a million naira. I smiled moving to the dock with the mustered courage.
While facing the Magistrate, thoughts of how I started writing in 2017 as a 200-level student in the university ran across my mind, I could recall the threats, impacts and accolades that some of my reports have earned me and the masses.
“We are bringing our witnesses next sitting,” the prosecutor said, informing the court after a failed attempt to provide the witnesses that Monday. Without much ado, the next date of adjournment was fixed but I could not help but to glance through the writ of summoning intermittently- the lengthy pages are enough to make any young journalist back out of the struggle. Alas! For me, not anytime soon.
