Price for Exposing Corruption: Kwara newsroom under siege

INFORMANT247, a digital newsroom, has faced a troubling pattern of intimidation and harassment over exposing corruption in Kwara State.

A notable example occurred in February 2024 when the Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Abdul Jimoh Muhammed, an engineer, filed a petition to the Kwara State police headquarters leading to the arrest and detention of the Editor-in-Chief, Salihu Ayatullahi, and Managing Director, Adisa-Jaji Azeez.

Their arrest followed the publication of a two-part investigation alleging financial mismanagement and the commissioning of uncompleted projects at the polytechnic.

Aminat Adebayo Jaji, 28, was pregnant on the afternoon of February 4, 2024, when her husband, Mr Azeez, Managing Director of Informant247, received a phone call from the Ilorin police command headquarters.

He was informed that a petition had been filed against him and his colleagues over the first and second parts of an investigative report published in November 2023 and February 2024, and that their presence was required at the station.

When Aminat inquired about the issue, Mr Azeez explained that the invitation was connected to a complaint from the Rector of Kwara Polytechnic. At that moment, she became visibly unsettled. However, her husband reassured her, saying, “The worst that could happen is they detain us.”

Being five months pregnant, Aminat was anxious. What kept her going was her husband’s promise that everything would be fine. They had agreed to stay in touch via phone. Everything went according to plan until she began calling him and received no response.

“I became so worried that I had to leave work early. My blood pressure shot up when I was denied access to see my husband. I lost control, I even had a confrontation with the publisher of Informant247 that same day,” Aminat told The ICIR.

Before responding to the police invitation, Messrs Azeez and Ayatullahi contacted their lawyer, Muhammad Edun, who filed a fundamental human rights application to prevent their detention. Although the application was submitted to the Commissioner of Police on February 5, they were still detained that same day.

When Aminat couldn’t see her husband she was forced to return home where she met family members, including her husband’s parents, already gathered, anxiously waiting for an update. Under pressure, she eventually revealed that her husband and his colleagues had been locked up in a cell and that she could not see him.

On 6 February, 2024, the journalists were arraigned before a magistrate court on charges of criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, and defamation. Their legal counsel argued that the magistrate lacked jurisdiction over cybercrime cases, which fall under federal authority. The court granted them bail and struck out the case due to lack of jurisdiction and diligent prosecution.

Messrs Azeez and Ayatullahi’s arrest was among at least five incidents of journalist arrests and detentions in Nigeria in 2024 alone – a troubling indicator of the growing threats and intimidation faced by media professionals in the country. The pattern reflects a continuing trend of arrests, harassment, threats, and even killing of journalists despite repeated pledges by the government to uphold press freedom.

A January 2025 report on Media and Expression in Nigeria by the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) revealed that attacks on journalists and media practitioners accounted for 71.4 per cent of press freedom violations.

Background of the reports

The original series began with a report titled: “Just a paint job: Inside Kwara Polytechnic’s shoddy project commissioning,” published in November 2023. Following the first publication, Mr Azeez said the Polytechnic authorities tried to halt the investigation. He added that the Rector attempted to persuade him to not continue with the second part.

“When he (Rector) asked why I went to press without reaching out to him, I replied that I spoke to his PRO before we published the story,” Mr Azeez told The ICIR

Despite this, a second report was published in February 2024.

“We had to dig deeper to expose the systemic corruption within the institution. We launched what was supposed to be a series of investigations – 10 parts in total.

“After publishing the second report, we were invited by the police,” M Ayatullahi, the Editor- in-chief, added.

Despite voluntarily honouring the police invitation, Messrs Ayatullahi and Azeez were detained by officers from the Anti-Kidnapping and Cultism Unit – a section typically reserved for violent crimes. What was initially considered a routine inquiry quickly escalated and saw the journalists locked up in a cell overnight.

“That night felt surreal. I remember I honestly couldn’t sleep overnight,” Mr Ayatullahi recalled. “We were thrown into a dark, cramped room – no bed, no light, just a cold floor and the stares of inmates who had clearly been there for days.

“All I kept asking myself was, how did we get to a point in this country where telling the truth lands you here?”

The next morning, they were charged to court with criminal conspiracy and defamation, with an ex-parte motion seeking their remand in Okekura Prison. The magistrate rejected the motion and granted them bail.

Legal retaliation and Federal charges

Despite the magistrate court sticking out the original charges, a new case was filed at the Federal High Court in Ilorin, with the Federal Government now named as the complainant.

Their lawyer, Mr Edun, described the refiled charges as an abuse of legal process noting that state actors exploit procedural tools to intimidate journalists.

“They moved the same allegations to a new charge, even though it’s based on identical facts,” Mr Edun told The ICIR.

“It’s a clear case of legal harassment,” he noted, noting that such tactics send a chilling message to journalists, that exposing corruption may lead not just to arrests, but to relentless legal battles dressed in procedural legitimacy.

He argued that procedural tools are being used to intimidate journalists, sending a message that exposing corruption could lead to prolonged legal battles.

Official response

When contacted, the rector, Mr Muhammed initially did not respond. Later, in an email, he stated:

“Currently the matter is before the Federal High Court in Ilorin. For now, it’s unethical to speak on it. Therefore, I urge you to be patient till the outcome of the court.”

Impact on newsroom and continued investigations

Before the arrest, “We were in full swing, everyone was motivated, knowing the impact of our work on the community,” Mr Ayatullahi recalled.

The arrest disrupted operations at Informant247, but the newsroom responded by deepening its investigations. “We knew we were being punished for doing our job, so we decided to keep doing it louder,” he said.

Over the past 11 months, while the Federal High Court trial continues, the outlet has published over ten reports including four additional stories on Kwara Polytechnic.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Mr Ayatullahi. “But we found purpose in the pressure. If anything, the attack made us more united, more intentional about our work, and more resolved to protect press freedom.”

Calls for reform

Busola Ajibola, Deputy Director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), has been a prominent voice on the challenges facing press freedom in Nigeria. In her report, “Exploring the Interface of Press Freedom and Technology in Nigeria,” she highlights how digital platforms, while offering new avenues for information dissemination, have also introduced threats such as cyberbullying, surveillance, and the misuse of cybercrime laws to stifle journalistic work.

Ms Ajibola emphasises that these challenges are not just technological but also legal and ethical, requiring a multifaceted approach to safeguard press freedom.

In a workshop reported by Premium Times, Ms Ajibola addressed the increasing use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to intimidate journalists. She noted that these legal tactics are designed to burden journalists with the cost and stress of legal defence, thereby deterring them from pursuing investigative reporting.

Ms Ajibola called for stronger legal protections and support systems for journalists to ensure they can continue their work without fear of retribution.

Speaking with The ICIR, Abdulwasiu Mujeeb, a Lagos based legal practitioner, said there’s no provision in Nigerian law that criminalises the demand for accountability.

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The lawyer said that Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, which was cited in Informant247 case, was intended to address threats to public peace or personal safety, not to silence investigative journalism.

“That publication was simply demanding accountability. The provisions concerning this subject matter is Section 24. What the provisions simply say is that no one should publish a statement that threatens another person’s peace or a statement that would breach public peace.

“Unfortunately, powerful individuals now misuse this law to harass reporters and suppress press freedom. If this trend continues, we’ll see fewer calls for accountability, and impunity will only deepen in our institutions,” Mr Wasiu said.

This report was produced by ICIR in collaboration with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) as part of a project documenting issues focused on press freedom in Nigeria.