Accused campus journalist questioned about Sowore

The lawyer representing Ayoola Babalola, a National Diploma graduate from Gateway Polytechnic in Ogun State, on Monday said his client was interrogated with questions intended to determine his relationship with activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore.

Mr Babalola’s lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said this on Monday evening during an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, after securing bail for his client.

Mr Effiong is also one of the lawyers representing Mr Sowore in his case against the Nigerian government.

Mr Babalola was arrested on Thursday and charged to court on six counts for alleged incitement and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

He had been accused by the Ogun State chapter of the State Security Service of participating in protests and inciting violence through Facebook posts, according to the charge sheet.

But in a recorded phone call he received from an official of the secret police in December, which he shared with PREMIUM TIMES, the agency said it was inviting Mr Babalola to answer questions on the issues that had resulted in the resignation of a lecturer, O.A. Salami, from the institution.

Mrs Salami had inspected the school’s newspaper which was edited by Mr Ayoola. She reportedly resigned after she was allegedly demoted by the school, following a publication in the newspaper condemning Mr Sowore’s detention and requesting the investigation of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu.

Following an advice by his lawyer, Mr Babalola had told PREMIUM TIMES that he would not heed the invitation since he had graduated from the institution where the said publication was made.

But in a tweet on Friday, Mr Effiong said his client was arrested and charged on six counts for what he described as “strange offences”

Mr Babalola was granted bail with a bond of N150, 000 on Monday.

He is to return to court on Wednesday for trial, his lawyer told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Effiong also added that Mr Ayoola’s phone number was with the SSS, hence the accused could not be reached at the time of this report.

Mr Babalola had, however, told PREMIUM TIMES before his arrest that his student portal, through which he is expected to facilitate the collection of his result, had since been brought down by the institution.