Excessively bail conditions used to keep Nigerian journalist, Lahbash in prison

The entire family, friends and staffs of the CEO and publisher of eaglesforesight online news platform, condemns the use of excessively demanding bail conditions to keep Nigerian journalist, Prince Adewale Olamilekan Hammed  Bashiru in prison, although he was granted bail in theory on 21 June.

The editor of the EagleForeSight news website, Mr Bashiru has been held since late April for reposting an article reporting that the current governor of the southwestern state of Ogun was arrested in the United States in 1986.

A court ruled on 21st of June, 2022 that he could finally be released, but only after depositing a very large bond of 5 million nairas (around 12,000 euros) and producing two sureties who must provide their phone number and full address, bank account details and a property certificate. Although still not officially charged, Bashiru is due to appear in court again on 19 July.

“By setting an especially high bond, the federal high court is using a deliberate strategy to silence and censor journalists and keep them in prison,” said Sadibou Marong, the director of RSF’s West Africa bureau. “We condemn the justice system’s use of such arbitrary methods to keep journalists in detention without formally charging them. These repressive methods have no place in a society that respects fundamental rights. This journalist must be released unconditionally on 19 July.”

Bashiru was summoned to the headquarters of the Department of State Security in Abeokuta, Ogun’s capital, on 29th of April to explain his decision to repost an article originally published in the Peoples Gazette newspaper reporting that Ogun’s governor, Dapo Abiodu, has a US criminal record and was jailed for credit card fraud in 1986 in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

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After a heavy-handed interrogations during which the police refused to notify his lawyers, Bashiru was forced to delete the article and issue a public apology describing it as “false information.” After his transfer to Abeokuta police headquarters, where he has been held ever since without formal charge, it was only on 16 May that he was allowed to see his lawyer, who was not told what he is accused of or the proposed date of his release.

“The Nigerian justice system often uses exorbitant bonds as a deterrent for journalists and to force them to remain in detention until the end of their trials. RSF already denounced this method in the case of Luka Binniyat, a journalist with The Epoch Times newspaper, who ended up being detained without charge for 91 days after the imposition of a 1-million naira bond (and two other subsequent bonds for the same amount).