The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council, Mr Lanre Ahmed, said the union was doing all it could to prevail on the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, to withdraw a petition, which he wrote against two of its members, Dare and Abdulrasheed Akogun who were invited, interrogated, arraigned and subsequently remanded at the Mandala Correctional Centre, Ilorin over an allegation of defamation against his principal and his person in a WhatsApp post.
According to Ahmed, although the issue that triggered the petition to the police and subsequent prosecution in court was painful and most unfortunate, the State Council of NUJ had not rested on its oars in exploring an amicable settlement with the ultimate hope that the matter would be permanently laid to rest in no time.
Ahmed further said: “However, in the spirit of an injury to one is an injury to all, the leadership of the State Council of NUJ took it upon itself, for the past days, to ensure amicable resolution of the issue involving its members, Dare Akogun and his brother, Abdulrasheed Akogun, even though we chose not to make it public, prior. The National Secretariat of our Union had been properly briefed about the development and waded in. The union is using this opportunity to appreciate the State Government for the support given to journalists in the State and promises to sustain the harmonious relationship between the Union and the government. Likewise, the Kwara NUJ wishes to clarify that none of its members staged a protest at the Headquarters of the Kwara State Police Command, Ilorin in the early hours of Friday (October 14, 2022) over the detention of the said members of the Union, on the strength of the petition written by CPS to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye. While we recognize that it is the exclusive preserve of people, who feel aggrieved to register their displeasure over the decision of the state police command to detain both Dare Akogun and Abdulrasheed Akogun, as constitutionally guaranteed, the public should be aware that no member of the state council of NUJ participated in the protest that allegedly culminated in the dispersal of the protesters. The union would want to set the record straight that it has, over the years, been enjoying a good working relationship with the state police command and expect that the collaboration is sustained.”
