Chief Magistrate court, sitting in Ilorin, Kwara state capital on Monday fixed another date to deliver ruling on the case involving an aide of the Kwara state governor, Mr Olayinka Fafoluyi and the National Pilot Newspaper, a news medium based in the state.
It will be recalled that Fafoluyi, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on New Media, through direct complaint, accused the National Pilot and its reporter, Ahmed Ajikobi, of defamation and allied offences.
At the last hearing, the medium asked the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction and improper filing of processes.
The parties to the suit and their supporters were in court Monday as hearing resumed expecting the Magistrate to make pronouncement on the crucial point of jurisdiction. The National Pilot Newspaper was represented by its Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Alhaji Billy Adedamola while the reporter was also present in court.
The Presiding Magistrate apologised to the counsels on both sides, saying the ruling on the jurisdiction status and other applications moved are not ready.
The court with the parties involved in the case however agreed to come back on May 13, 2024 for the ruling.
Counsel representing the reporter, Barrister Abdullah Muhammed while speaking with this medium after the proceedings, said he had no option other than to seek for further adjournment since the court has pronounced that ruling on applications earlier moved are not ready.
He acknowledged that the magistrate, at this time is busy considering the number of cases on his table that are equally begging for urgent and prompt attention.
On his part, Barrister Michael Owonishola who is representing the medium, corroborated his colleague saying the matter was adjourned for the ruling of the preliminary objection.
He said the preliminary objections has about three grounds bothering on the fact that the complainant failed to file the process in compliance with due process of law.
Through the preliminary objection, he revealed that they raised issue of locus standi and jurisdiction stressing that the court doesn’t have legal right over cyber offences following the section 61 of the cyber crime.
Meanwhile, through the Direct Complaint, Fafoluyi had alleged “Offences of Criminal Conspiracy, Inciting Public Disturbance, Injurious Falshood, Criminal Defamation and Cyber Stalking, contrary to the Provisions of Section 97, 114, 393 and 392 of Penal Code Law and Section 27 and 24 of Cyber Crimes (Prohibition and Prevention ETC) Act 2015 “ against the medium and its reporter.
He had referred to the company’s online and hard copies publications of May 15 and October 16, 2023 as injurious to the governor of Kwara state, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and his family.
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