Nation
Twitter Suspension: ‘Prosecution Of Users Unknown To Law’
A Legal Practitioner, Dr Kayode Ajulo, has said that the planned prosecution of users of the suspended twitter microblogging platform by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, is unknown to the county’s laws.
Ajulo, also a Constitutional Lawyer, stated this yesterday, while speaking The Tide source in Abuja.
He said that the statement from the AGF should have been directed at those who abused social media and not all twitter users, stressing that having carefully studied Nigeria’s various penal laws, nowhere was a citizen of the country prohibited from receiving or disseminating information.
This, according to him, was as a right guaranteed under Section 39 of the Constitution.
He said that relevant laws must be put in place to check any abuse of the social media, as it was the only way offenders could be prosecuted, adding that section 36 (12) of the constitution forbade the prosecution of anyone for an offence not known to law.
Without prejudice to the rationale for the ban of the blogging site, Ajulo said it must be noted that Nigeria’s democracy was a constitutional democracy based on the rule of law.
“Where the rule of law reigns, political expediency ought to be sacrificed on the altar of the rule of law, so as to guarantee the continued existence of democratic institutions.
According to him, this was fashioned to promote social values of liberty, orderly conduct and development, especially given the fact that the constitution of a nation remained “the fons et origo”, not only of the jurisprudence but also of the nation’s legal system.
He added that the constitution remained the beginning and the end of the legal system, the alpha and the omega and the barometer with which Government actions were measured.
Ajulo said: “I am weary to believe that the statement credited to the Honourable Attorney General is, with respect, inchoate as the position of law is clear and unambiguous.
“Whatever directive issued for the prosecution of violators of the ban on the twitter blog in Nigeria, runs contrary to the Letters and the spirit of the Constitution”.
The AGF had, in a June 5 statement, said that the Federal Government would prosecute twitter users, after the suspension of the site.
The Chairman of the Osun State Park Management System (OSTMS), Comrade Nurudeen Iyanda Alowonle, was reportedly shot by officers of the state police command in the late hours of Monday.
The union, in a statement issued by its Secretary, Mikaela Popoola, in Osogbo, confirmed that its chairman was arrested over domestic issues and taken into police custody.
According to him, the shooting of the chairman occurred while in police custody, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting call for a thorough investigation.
The union scribe, who reiterated that the chairman was arrested over domestic issues and taken into police custody, called on members of OSTMS not to take the law into their own hands.
He stressed, “We must maintain peace across the parks while we take the matter up with the appropriate authorities.”
While confirming the shooting, a top Police officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “Alowonle was arrested in connection with the alleged killing of one Oyewale in 2022 and the assault of some residents on Monday night.
“He was shot while attempting to escape and has been taken to a hospital for treatment.”
According to him, Alowonle was maimed by the police gunshot, and a Hummer bus with registration number AWK 480YD, an unregistered Nissan Almera, and a Toyota Sienna with registration number GNN 595 XD were also recovered from him.
“During the arrest, a Barrett pistol, six rounds of 9mm live ammunition, and one expended empty shell were recovered from Alowonle’s private unregistered Toyota Highlander jeep,” the officer said.
“Alowonle and his boys conveyed themselves in a Previn bus with registration number RBC 275XK, but a distress call to the police led to his arrest. He was rearrested at Susi area of Oke-Baale, Osogbo, alongside eight others before being taken to the state police command.”
Meanwhile, all possible efforts made to reach the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, for comment on the incident proved abortive as calls put to her mobile phone were not answered.
The Rivers State Police Command has announced that its operatives neutralised a suspected kidnapper and cultist, identified as Gbarani Bume, in the Luawii Community of Khana Local Government Area (LGA).
Bume, also known as Pelele, was a member of the infamous Iceland cult group, which has been terrorising the Beree/Tabaa axis of Khana LGA along with his gang.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Iringe-Koko said that Pelele and his gang attempted to kidnap a site engineer working in Luawii when the police, acting on a tip-off, swooped in. Upon sighting the police, the suspects opened fire, but Pelele was fatally wounded after a fierce exchange of gunfire and later died.
The statement reads: “The Rivers State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in its efforts to combat crime, neutralising a notorious cultist and kidnapper, Gbarani Bume, a.k.a. Pelele, a native of Bere Community in Khana LGA.
“He was a member of the Iceland Cult Group, which has been terrorising the Beree/Tabaa axis of Khana LGA.
“On the 15th of November 2024, operatives from the Bori Division, acting on a tip-off, were mobilised to Luawii Community where Pelele and his gang were attempting to kidnap a site engineer.
“Upon sighting the operatives, the hoodlums opened fire, resulting in a fierce crossfire, during which Pelele was fatally wounded. His accomplices escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds.
“Items recovered from the suspect include one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, and 10 rounds of live ammunition.”
She added, “An investigation is ongoing, and efforts are being intensified to apprehend the other fleeing gang members and bring them to justice.”
The state police spokesperson stated that this operation underscores the Command’s commitment to tackling crime and ensuring public safety in the state.
