The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Council has urged the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, to grant bail to its member, Seun Odunlami, along with three other journalists.
The council emphasized that the charges against the journalists are eligible for bail.
Seun Odunlami, Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, and Rowland Olonishuwa were arrested in a “gestapo manner” in connection with an alleged investigative report involving a bank and its Chief Executive Officer, Segun Agbaje.
The defendants were first arraigned on September 27, 2024, facing two counts of cyberstalking and false publication. They have been held at the Ikoyi correctional center for over a month without bail.
The journalists now face an amended 10-count charge, which includes conspiracy, cyberstalking, false and misleading publication, extortion, threats, and causing loss of shares and market value.
Speaking on Monday at the council’s secretariat in Iwe Iroyin, Abeokuta, Chairman Comrade Wale Olarenwaju stated that the offenses with which Odunlami and others are charged are bailable, adding that holding them in detention for over seven weeks violates their fundamental human rights.
Olarenwaju appealed to the Federal Government and the National Assembly to amend the Cybercrime Act, 2024, arguing that it has been used to intimidate the media with frivolous court charges.
He said, “We must recognize that the use of police forces to enforce such actions is not just an infringement of rights, but a grave infraction on the principles of justice and democracy.
“It is important to stress that this individual is facing charges that are bailable, yet they remain trapped in a web of unlawful custody that violates their rights and undermines our justice system.”
