The Kwara State High Court has dismissed a prosecution request for a bench warrant to arrest and remand investigative journalist Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed, publisher of Afrika Eyes, alongside activists Comrade Saliu Bolakale and Saidu Musa, sharply criticizing the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for presenting a fundamentally flawed charge sheet in a defamation and injurious falsehood case.
The trio faces charges stemming from their public condemnation of a violent attack on peaceful protesters in Ilorin, allegedly lodged by Abubakar Sadiq Buhari, Special Adviser to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Social Investment. During proceedings, DPP Ayoola Idowu Akande insisted the defendants had been duly served and should be detained for non-appearance, but the charge sheet lacked essential details—no court name, suit number, or hearing date—rendering service invalid.
Defense counsel Taofiq Olateju, present for another matter, challenged the application, stating: “a charge that bears no date or even indicating the court handling the matter. The application for bench warrant against the defendants is an ambush to keep them behind the bar which will occasion a miscarriage of justice.” The judge concurred, ruling no logical way existed for defendants to know where or when to appear, and that prosecution failed to prove proper service, thus dismissing the remand bid as unjustified.
Post-ruling, the DPP acknowledged fairness, declaring: “this is justice.” The case was adjourned to February 5, 2026, for arraignment, marking another setback for Kwara authorities amid accusations of targeting critics.
This echoes an October 13, 2025, Kwara Magistrate Court ruling striking out identical charges for lack of jurisdiction and abuse of process, after prosecutor Supo Mathew sought adjournment despite duplication at the High Court. Olateju had invoked Section 302 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Kwara State, 2018, demanding the Attorney General or Police Commissioner explain why charges should not be terminated. Magistrate Jimada agreed, striking the suit to prevent parallel proceedings.
After that victory, Olateju told journalists: “We appreciate the court for its uprightness and pray that God continues to strengthen Magistrate Jimada for allowing justice to prevail,” accusing the government of wasting resources on “frivolous and vindictive cases meant to silence journalists and human rights activists” and hoping it would “desist from using state resources to persecute citizens who hold dissenting views.”
The saga underscores ongoing tensions between Kwara officials and media voices protesting governance issues like insecurity and protest suppression.
