Nigerian Reporter Released Following IPI Nigeria’s Advocacy Efforts

A Nigerian journalist, Ibraheem Hamza Mohammed, was on Friday released from prison after the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) intervened in his case.

The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Police arrested Mohammed on 1st May after he was accused of falsely publishing that N40 million was stolen from Governor Abdullahi Sule’s bedroom. The article was published on 22 February 2024 on FirstNews, a Lagos-based online newspaper.

The police then charged him with violation of the Cybercrime Act and secured an order for his remand at the Medium Security Custodian Centre in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, pending the commencement of trial.

However, the journalist was released Friday after a Nasarawa High Court sitting in Doma granted him bail after spending 10 days in jail.

A statement signed by the Legal Adviser/Chairman, Advocacy Committee, Tobi Soniyi, said he will remain on bail till 13 May when the police are expected to withdraw the charges against him and discontinue the trial.

“To secure his release, IPI Nigeria’s delegation led by the President, Musikilu Mojeed, visited Lafia on 6 May, meeting with top officials of the Nasarawa State government, including Governor Sule, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Labaran Magaji and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ibrahim Addra,” he said.

He said the management of FirstNews has apologised to Governor Sule over the story, saying “It has since found that the said story lacked any form of truth and that the reporter merely concocted the story in his bid to pursue a personal vendetta against the governor.”