Osun State Government has resolved to halt court proceedings against a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saheed Akinloye alleged of publishing defamatory statements against it on his facebook page.
Saheed was arraigned before Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara of an Osogbo Magistrate Court on Tuesday over seditious publication and was reminded in correctional facility.
However, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwafemi Akande said Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has ordered that the case be discontinued on compassionate grounds.
Akande said that Saheed committed an offence contrary to section 13 of Infectious Disease Act 2020 which deals with deliberate transmission of false news.
He warned residents of the state to desist from such act, saying the law is in force and whoever breached it might not be as lucky.
According to the Attorney-General, Governor Oyetola had of his remind on the news and had to intervene and asked that the charges be withdrawn against him in the spirit of fighting covid-19 as he may not be able to get bail when the state entered into lockdown.
“His excellency also heard of this on the news and in the spirit of the prevention against the spread of COVID-19 he felt that the state should discontinue the matter. It is not that he has not committed an offence. Lockdown commences tomorrow and if the court will not sit in the next 14 days it means he would be locked up for the period. In the governor’s view he said the case should be discontinued.
The government has withdraw all charges against him so that he can observed the lockdown with his family”.
Meanwhile Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara, who had requested for formal bail application, on Thursday granted the defendants bail in the sum of N1million with one surety in the same sum.
He also ordered that the surety must be a civil servant or a resident of the state with landed property.
Source: Vanguard
