Haruna Mohammed, the publisher of the state’s online news outlet WikkiTimes, was remanded on Tuesday by the Chief Magistrate Court 3 in Bauchi State, presided over by Ahmed Musa, on suspicion of allegedly “inciting disturbance of public peace to blackmail” Governor Bala Mohammed.
The complainant, Bauchi State Commissioner of Police Aminu Alhassan, accused the journalist of hiring some women to incite disturbance of public peace by encouraging them to make statements that would jeopardize the peace and wellbeing of the intended voters at the polling unit in Duguri ward of Alkaleri Local Government Area and to blackmail them, according to a copy of the allegations made against Haruna, 32, on Tuesday.
The accused refuted all of the accusations made against him when the case was brought up in court.
According to the 1999 constitution as amended, the Attorney-General of the State would like to take over the case from the Police and continue it, Haruna Mohammed of the Ministry of Justice announced.
The presiding magistrate adjourned the case to Wednesday, March 1st, 2023 to enable him rule on the bail application filed by the accused’s counsel, SG Idrees.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that the accused journalist was arrested in Duguri, the hometown of the governor on Saturday, 25th February while covering the presidential and National Assembly elections and was taken to the police criminal investigation department before his arraignment on Tuesday at the Court.
He is being remanded at the Nigeria Correctional Centre, Bauchi, pending the determination of the bail application.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Police Command, confirmed the arrest and detention of the journalist.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed the arrest in a telephone interview with journalists in the State on Tuesday.
He said: “The Police actually received a formal complaint that a journalist was inciting the electorate during Saturday’s general elections.
“That was why we quickly intervened to ensure we maintain law and order, especially at this period.”
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