The Nigerian police has
commenced the trial of journalist Samuel Ogundipe, on Wednesday, while denying
him access to his lawyers.
The police arraigned
Ogundipe at a Magistrate Court in Kubwa on Wednesday afternoon and he was
charged with criminal trespass and theft of police document.
Ibrahim Idris,
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), reportedly ordered his arrest over a story
on Lawal Daura, sacked director-general of the Department of State Services
(DSS).
The police had reportedly
asked Ogundipe to disclose how he obtained the letter IGP wrote to Acting
President Yemi Osinnajo on Daura but the journalist declined in line with the
ethics of the profession.
Ogundipe was then 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.
The magistrate then gave an
order that he be detained for five more days, till August 20 and ordered that
he be allowed to make a call while within the court premises.
It was the phone of a court
official that Ogundipe used to contact his 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,” he said just
before the call ended.
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