ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has pardoned a Bayelsa State-born blogger and owner of Naija TV Live, Mr. Saint Miepamo Onitsha, over last year’s publication of a fake report of N7b Covid-19 isolation centre allegedly built by Kogi government and blown away by rainstorm.
Bello also withdrew the case of defamation filed against the blogger at the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had in 2020 arrested, detained and arraigned Onitsha before the court over the false publication.
The DSS had said that the investigation and arrest of the news blogger showed that the publication was no doubt an orchestrated attempt to smear the image of Bello and incite the public against his administration.Â
But at Wednesday’s sitting of the court, the presiding Judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro, struck out the case of defamation against the blogger based on Bello’s request.
It was gathered that the accused blogger had tendered an unreserved apology to Governor Bello and the people of Kogi State before the case against him was withdrawn by Kogi State.
The blogger, who was full of praises for Bello, commended him for playing a fatherly role by forgiving him and withdrawing the case from court.
He said: “First of all, I want to appreciate Governor Bello for playing a fatherly role. I appreciate him because he has decided to forgive me as a father and I take him as a father from today.
“On the professional angle, as journalists, we do confirm stories before we publish. I will make sure that going forward, I will get to the root of all my stories before publication.”
He also commended the Commissioner for Information and Communications in Kogi State, Mr. Kingsley Sanwo, for taking the time to come from Kogi to Yenagoa to see to the amicable end of the case.
Sanwo described Governor Bello as media friendly person and would not want anything that might destroy the existing cordial relationship between him and the media.
He stated: “Let me, first of all, thank the DSS for the diligent prosecution of this case. From the investigation and prosecution, the DSS showed to the world that they are one of the best agencies that we have in Nigeria.
“The governor has decided to forgive Saint Mienpamo Onitsha for so many reasons. One of the reasons is that he apologised to the governor and he has learnt his lessons from this to always follow the ethics of the profession.
“We are very sure that he is a young journalist that has been doing very well. So, we do believe that it’s an error on his part, and having apologized to the governor, the governor has decided to forgive him. Secondly, the governor is a friend of journalists and he is someone that is very friendly to media practitioners. So, he has decided to use this as an example of his cordial relationship with journalists.
“Lastly, the blogger is a young man like the governor. They belong to the youth bracket. He is a friend of all youths across the country. So, it’s a way of saying: Saint Miepamo, you are my friend and despite the disagreement, I have decided to forgive you.”
Lead defence counsel for the blogger, Benjamin Ogbarah, said his client was standing trial for cyber stocking over a publication he made against the Governor of Kogi State.
He said the case was amicably withdrawn after the blogger and his family approached and pleaded with Bello for an out-of-court settlement.
He said the withdrawal of the case was brought pursuant to Section 108, subsection 2 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, adding that the withdrawal of the case means an acquittal of Onitsha.