By Abdulrasheed Akogun, Fresh Insight

A mild drama occurred at the Ilorin Magistrate Court on Friday morning when the presiding judge, Ibrahim Muhammed, disappeared in the middle of a court case and did not return until the close of work.

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the Kwara State Governor, and his elder sister Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe had petitioned the Police against Kayode Ogunlowo, Babatunde Saka and Olusegun Olusola Sholyment, accusing them of criminal defamation of character and public incitement, among others.

The petition by the Kwara State Ministry of Justice to the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, dated July 22, was titled ‘Request for arrest and investigation of Olusegun Olusola Shollyment, Kayode Ogunlowo and Babatunde Olusola Saka for the offence of inciting public disturbance, injurious falsehood and criminal defamation contrary to Sections 114, 393 and 392 of the Penal Code’.

The petition reads: “I have the instructions of the honourable Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to request the arrest and investigation of Olusegun Olusola Sholyment, Kayode Ogunlowo and Babatunde Olusola Saka for the aforementioned offences of inciting public disturbance, injurious falsehood and criminal defamation contrary to Sections 114, 393 and 392 of the Penal Code laws of Kwara State.

“From the available facts, Olusegun Olusola Sholyment, Kayode Ogunlowo and Babatunde Olusola Saka are Ilorin residents, political jobbers and online blackmailers who specialise in the usage of social media to blackmail government officials and cause political instability in Kwara State and Nigeria as a whole.

“On 18th July, 2021, the aforesaid concocted a viral Facebook post cum online news with an injurious statement against His Excellency, Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, his sister Senator Khairat Gwadabe.”

According to Fresh Insight’s findings, the Commissioner of Police minuted the petition to the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Investigation Bureau (OC/SIB) on July 22, instructing him to “investigate and report”.

Abdulrazaq and Khairat had, through the court, ensured the remandment of the three accused persons at the Oke-Kura prisons on Monday, after the first attempt on Thursday July 30 was botched.

The remand order came as a surprise to many, and in response, the defence counsel immediately filed bail applications for the accused. The presiding magistrate duly fixed Friday for hearing.

At the hearing, Magistrate Ibrahim Muhammed announced shortly before commencement that he had an official engagement outside Ilorin, but he would hear the matter before proceeding on the journey.

The sitting then commenced few minutes after 10 and the lead counsel, Dr. Ibrahim Sharaf, was addressing the court on the bail application when, at exactly 10:54am, the Magistrate stood up without informing the lawyers when the sitting would continue.

“This is my 26th year at the Bar and I’ve never witnessed what transpired on Friday. It is a new development to me and it ought not to have happened,” Sharraf told Fresh Insight on the phone.

“I know Magistrate Ibrahim as a forthright person; he is well-versed in law, so I’m surprised this could have happened, especially when the liberty of citizens is at stake and for an offence that is ordinarily bailable.

“The Magistrate told us before the commencement of sitting that had an official engagement; however, taking excuse while the bail application was being moved, with the promise to come back, which he didn’t do, isn’t too good.”