Metro
Man who named his dog ‘Buhari’ triumphs in court
Charges filed against Joachim Iroko, a resident of Ogun State, for naming his dog ‘Buhari’, were Tuesday dismissed at a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Sango-Otta.
In his ruling, the magistrate, O.O. Adebo, said the prosecution failed to substantiate its case against Joachim Iroko, and consequently struck out all charges brought against him.
The magistrate said the prosecution failed to provide witnesses since December 2016, and, at some point, even stopped appearing for hearing. He therefore freed Joachim over lack of diligent prosecution.
Joachim’s lawyer was elated at the ruling, and praised the court for ensuring that
justice was done.
It will be recalled that Joachim, 41, was arrested in August of 2016 for allegedly causing a breach of the peace after he was reported by his neighbor to the police for naming his dog Buhari.
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The neighbour, identified as Haliru Umar from Sokoto State, had accused Joachim of insensitivity and of harbouring sinister motives by picking that name for his dog.
Joachim’s arrest had sparked nationwide outrage especially because the story was immediately connected to the president. And critics accused the police of attempt to stifle constitutionally protected free speech to please the president.
The police had denied the allegation, claiming that Mr. Iroko’s ordeal had nothing to do with the president but was strictly about the breach of peace complaints received from his neighbour.
The issue also elicited reaction from the presidency. Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, Garba Shehu, had said that the president would rather pay more attention to cartoon pages in the newspapers than follow Joachim’s case.
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