Hate speech: detained KASU lecturer regains freedom

Hate speech: detained KASU lecturer regains freedom

By Sola Ojo, Kaduna

CHIEF Magistrate Court 1, sitting in Kaduna, on Monday granted bail to Kaduna State University (KASU) Lecturer, Dr. John Dan Fulani, who has been remanded in police custody over an alleged hate speech on his facebook page. Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to the 7th March, 2016 for further mentioning.

The varsity Political Science lecturer had been denied bail on Friday.

Earlier, the prosecuting officer Ibrahim Jameel said, they were yet to conclude their investigation because it fell ‎on a weekend.

He said, “it is an investigation that would be carried out not on the street of this town or homes of individuals but in corporate offices and none was operational at the weekends.

“This investigation involves telecommunication service providers whose offices are always shut on weekends. It is an investigation that has to extend to an international corporate organization the facebook, and can only be done through the local service providers.

“We are informing this court that we are about to start our investigation today (Yesterday) we are therefore craving the court as earlier requested for three weeks within which we will round up our investigation.

“We also ask that the accused be remanded in police custody for the continuation of this ‎investigation to enable the investigators easy access to the accused person in the event that he may be required to accompany the investigators to certain places.

“By so doing, we will be assured that our investigation will not be jeopardised becuase the subject of investigation is with us and closely monitored” he submitted.

Responding however, leading counsel to the accused person, Gamaliel Kore Esq accompanied by 13 other learned counsel, opposed vehemently the oral application by the prosecuting counsel for three weeks to conclude their investigation and for the accused person to be remanded within that period.

“It is not true that telecommunication operators and service providers operates 24 hours in seven days and there is no day that calls are not made or received.

“Not obeying the court order and asking the court to remand the accused person in police custody not even prison custody, the answer must be in the negative.

“This is an attempt on the side of the prosecutor to punish an innocent accused person for an offence he has not been convicted for.

“We submit that the fact of investigation going by the police has never been a factor to be considered whether to grant or not to grant bail to an accused.”

The accused is bailed to the sum of N5million with two sureties which must be a civil servant not below the rank of a director.‎ The sureties must submit two passport, government identification card, certificate of occupancy, bank statement of account, genuine  and verifiable address of residence.

Posted from GoBroadsheet