Premium Times reporter secretly arraigned, denied legal representation

Premium TImes reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, has been secretly arraigned before a Kubwa Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Wednesday.

The reporter, who was arrested by the police over an interim report by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris over the siege on the National Assembly by operatives of State Security Service, DSS, was also denied legal representation, reports say.

He was charged with criminal trespass and theft of police document.

According to a Premium Times report, a staff of the newspaper and the company’s lawyer visited the detention facility of the Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS, in Abuja where Mr Ogundipe is being detained.

The report said that “At about 10:00 a.m., the lawyer and the staff were allowed to see Mr Ogundipe. They were also briefed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police handling the supposed investigation, Sani Ahmadu.”

“The report further states that Mr Ahmadu and other police officers present asked this newspaper’s lawyer and other staff present to leave the SARS facility and return at 4:00 p.m.

“Earlier, the police commissioner had interrogated Mr Ogundipe and repeatedly asked him to name his source for a story as a condition to be released.

“Despite the protest by the lawyer, Mr Ahmadu said no action would be taken until the 4:00 p.m. he asked the lawyer to return.

“Like most actions of the police since the targeted attack at PREMIUM TIMES began on Saturday, that turned out to be a ruse and deceit.”

According to the report, at about 4:00 p.m., PREMIUM TIMES Editor-In-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, received a call from the court.

He was informed that Mr Ogundipe had been secretly taken to the Kubwa magistrate court where he was tried.

“Even though he repeatedly told the police that he would, as legally allowed, need to contact his lawyers or his employer before going to court, the police refused.

“When the charge was brought before the magistrate, there was no mention that Mr Ogundipe works as a journalist.

“The police carefully avoided mentioning that, only telling the magistrate he was being charged with criminal trespass and theft of police document.

“The magistrate then gave an order that he be detained for five more days, till August 20. It was the magistrate who ordered that he be allowed to make a call while within the court premises.

“It was the phone of a court official that Mr Ogundipe used to contact his editor-in-chief.”

Read Also: 30-yr-old man nabbed, arraigned for stealing company products to pay wife’s hospital bills

Ogundipe, in the phone conversation, according to the report, told the Editor-in-Chief: “They brought me to a magistrate court in Kubwa where they arraigned me. The magistrate said they should detain me for five days.

“They accused me of criminal trespass. They said I stole secret documents. The magistrate does not know the details, because they did not include in the charge that I am a journalist. I was not allowed to contact my lawyers.

“They also did not allow me to call anyone until the magistrate ordered them to let me make one call. I am currently using the registrar’s phone to make this call and they are collecting it,” Mr Ogundipe said just before the call ended.

According to the report, Ogundipe also said the police accused him of violating sections 352, 288 and 319 of the penal code.

“A review of the sections however indicate that they are not related to the charges but are about sexual assault and attempted murder”, the report states.

 

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