Bauchi Court Remands Journalist for Alleged Blackmail of Gov

A Chief Magistrate Court 3 sitting in Bauchi State, presided over by Ahmed Musa, on Tuesday, remanded the publisher of WikkiTimes, an online media outfit in the state, Haruna Mohammed, over charges of allegedly “inciting disturbance of public peace to blackmail” Governor Bala Mohammed.

A copy of the allegations being levelled against Haruna, 32, sighted by our correspondent after hearing on Tuesday, showed that the complainant, the Commissioner of Police Bauchi State, Aminu Alhassan, accused the journalist of hiring some women to incite disturbance of public peace by instigating them to make utterances that would prejudice the peace and wellbeing of the intended voters at the polling unit in Duguri ward of Alkaleri Local Government Area and to blackmail the incumbent governor in his ward contrary to Section 114 of the Penal Code.

When the case was mentioned in court, the accused denied all the charges being levelled against him.

Haruna Mohammed, from the Ministry of Justice, announced that the Attorney-General of the State would like to take over the case from the Police and continue with it as contained in the 1999 constitution as amended.

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.

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.”