Police, the institution called to account in the investigative report, and its leadership, would be more interested in defending an officer fingered in a corruption allegation instead of investigating the allegations against him. In arresting and claiming to be investigating a case of criminal defamation and cyber stalking against Soyombo, the Police wants to play the ignoble role of being a judge in its own case.
It is equally shocking that the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari, which came to power ostensibly to rid the country of Buy Bulk SMS Service corruption, is condoning such abuse of state power and resources by those accused of corruption to victimize media practitioners who are performing their constitutional duty of upholding the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people. It is particularly astounding that the police authorities have chosen to abuse their powers by using strong arm tactics against the media when the police officer alleged to be complicit in a monumental act of corruption has offered no exculpatory evidence or explanation in rebuttal of the allegations made against him.
Sadly, this is not an isolated case. For over four months now, another public official, Dr. Rufus Egbegba, the Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency, NBMA, attempted to use institutions of the state to intimidate and harass the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, and its journalists for a report on contract inflation at the agency. Dr. Egbegba used the Police Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID; Department of State Security, DSS; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (Office of the Federal Director of Public Prosecution,) to threaten, intimidate or harass ICIR reporter, Niyi Oyedeji and its Editor, Ajibola Amzat, just for doing their work.
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發表於 2024-2-22 13:05:17