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Defamation Charges: What Magistrate Court Did After Granting Fejiro Oliver Bail
Two Magistrate Courts sitting in Asaba, Delta State have granted Investigative journalist and Secret Reporters publisher, Fejiro Oliver
bail over two fresh defamation charges filed against him by the state government.
The new cases, marked CMA/529C/2025 and CMA/530C/2025, were filed through the Attorney General of Delta State.
In the first case, Fejiro was accused of defaming Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South Senatorial District) by calling him a “Blockhead Senator” and “Politically useless” in a social media post.
In the second, he was accused of publishing a similarly critical post about Stella Okotete, Executive Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), describing her as a rejected ministerial nominee of President Bola Tinubu.
The two different Magistrates presiding over the matters granted Oliver bail under strict conditions and adjourned the matter to 4th November, 2025.
At the Magistrate Court 3, presided over by Magistrate Edith Nkechi Anumadu, Fejiro was granted bail with conditions to be met. Moments later, Magistrate Patricia Onyeisi Okoh of Court 2 also granted bail to Fejiro in the second case concerning Okotete with conditions to be met.
The conditions required first surety to have landed property within jurisdiction, deposit of his international passport while the second surety must be a close relative of the defendant.
Austin Nyekigbe, Esq, representing the defence team led by Inibehe Effiong, Esq. argued that the charges were bailable, unjustified while describing Oliver as responsible, an employer, entitled to freedom of speech that was not defaming or derogatory and would not jump bail.
For the prosecution, A. O. Orhorhoro, Esq., the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), appeared with T. R. Anuhwin, Esq., both from the Delta State Ministry of Justice, who argued that Fejiro was a security risk, flight threat, blackmailer, abused his freedom of speech and should not be granted bail.
Orhorhoro had argued that freedom of expression does not permit deliberate blackmail and defamation of fellow citizens or politically exposed persons like Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and others.
According to him, freedom of expression isn’t absolute; it’s a right that comes with responsibilities and limitations that must be exercised with respect for laws, individual rights and the rule of law.
In an interview, Nyekigbe said the development was a mark of hope for common man, and Fejiro would soon be a free man as court has discharged him, thanking the Magistrate for granting accelerated hearing while he assured of perfecting the bail immediately.
Though bail was granted in both cases, Fejiro remains in detention pending verification of his documents, a process that has been allegedly stalled for weeks by the state Ministry of Lands.
Meanwhile, a renowned human rights crusader, Omes Ogedegbe, described the development as “a shameful abuse of state power.”
“Fejiro Oliver has fulfilled all legal obligations for his release. The Ministry of Lands has deliberately refused to verify his documents for reasons that have nothing to do with law and everything to do with politics. This is persecution, not prosecution.”
Similarly, the Centre for Civic Liberty and Media Accountability (CCLMA), in a statement on Monday, condemned the continuous intimidation of Fejiro Oliver and other journalists investigating public officials.
Mrs Grace Umukoro, spokesperson of the group, said: “We strongly condemn the siege-like atmosphere that greets Fejiro’s court appearances. The Delta State Government must ensure his safety and allow due process to take its course.
“Silencing journalists through administrative delay or intimidation, undermines the very foundation of democracy. Fejiro Oliver’s situation highlights a growing tension between press freedom and political power in Nigeria’s democracy” the statement said.
With four active cases
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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
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