Logo of Newsconnect and ClipTV online news platforms.
…..Online News Editors Express Worries on Stifled Press Freedom
Under the guise of “fact finding exercise“, The editors of Newsconnect Online Elias Abayomi Adagunduro and Abraham Adaranijo of ClipTV online have received official invitations from the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Headquarters, Lagos, demanding their presence over a publication on their respective platforms.
In a syndicated publication dated February 19, 2025, Newsconnect Online published an article titled “Forgery, Double Standards, and the Nigerian Judicial Circus: A Case Study in Impunity“. While Cliptvonline titled its publication “Selective Justice: Alleged Fraudster Evades Police, Demands Travel Expenses”.
The crux of the message syndicated by these online news platforms was basically a call to action by law enforcement officers and Firstbank Trustees. This call was made on the news platforms to investigate alleged forgery case levied by Dr Femi Olaleye against his estranged wife Aderemi Fagbemi Olaleye.
According to the article, Aderemi upon getting an invitation for questioning from the Office of Inspector General of Police requested the Police to pay for her flight ticket so she can travel to clear herself. A privilege Afro-hiphop star musician Habeeb Okikiola popularly called ‘PORTABLE’ never got.
Mrs Aderemi Olaleye who wasn’t pleased with the tone of the message of the bloggers through her lawyer issued a ‘Cease and Desist’ letter compelling the bloggers to pull down the story within seven days.
The news platforms having gone through the letter served by Aderemi’s lawyers, didn’t only adjust the article to address her concerns, but also informed her lawyers about the adjustment and their intention not to malign their clients.
The online news platforms issued a corrigendum on the 24th of February 2025 titled ‘Retraction and apology Notice ‘which was published on the same platforms for some wordings in the article which didn’t sit well with her.
Again, the aforementioned platforms having apologized for the ‘choices’ of words, reiterated that the article is evidence based, hence it is needless to pull down the story.
In an article authored by one Victoria Ojugbana Published in Independent Newspaper on 25th February 2025 titled “Defilement Case: Stop Tarnishing my Image, Reputation, Wife Warns Medical Doctor”, Aderemi in her allusion to the disposition of the article Newsconnect Online and Cliptv had published recently said to some journalists that;
“He is not satisfied that the court is tilting towards a peaceful resolution on the children and the property. He then wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police in Abuja that I forged some documents and registered the property in my name. How will you say I forged the documents of something that belongs to both of us?
“He wrote petitions to the Police and they sent a message to my WhatsApp that I should come to Abuja. I forwarded the petition to my lawyer, who wrote back to them that the case is in court and that he didn’t see any reason for me to go to Abuja.
“He said that I am a single mother and that if they wanted me to come to Abuja, I had to go with my children as nobody would take care of them. He said they should buy flight tickets for us and that they should back it up with a court order since my husband said that I forcefully evicted him from the house.
“We forwarded the court order that told him to vacate the house and the children’s custody order to the Inspector General of Police. May be the IG saw that there was truth in it, he said that if Dr. Olaleye had any petition, he should take it to the Lagos Police Command, but he is in London now.
“When he saw that his plan failed, he launched a smear campaign against me in some online newspaper and television media.
“They placed my picture, and that of the IG on the story. They used my old picture, where I was sick. They said that Police invited me that I didn’t go and that they should invite me immediately for refusing their summon.
“They know what the IG said, but they are pretending. Initially, they didn’t add the picture of Dr. Olaleye, they later added it so that it can look like balanced. They paired my picture with that of Portable, when he was declared wanted by the Police and that I was wanted too”.
The question is, is she not wanted with the invitation extended to her by the Office of Inspector General of Police for questioning over the alleged forgery levied against her by her estranged husband ?
She proceeded and said;
“My lawyer wrote ‘Cease and Desist’ letter to my husband and gave him and the bloggers 48 hours to pull down all the malicious stories about me and tender an apology. There is a petition against them with the IG. They called me accused and said that I forged documents.
“They said why would FBN Trust forge documents for me. He is looking for a way to get a reaction from me and FBN. I wonder why he did not put the story in the mainstream media.
“He wants the Police to declare me wanted to blackmail me and it backfired on him,” she stated.
In the light of the foregoing, there is clear violation of press freedom.
The Nigerian Constitution, under Section 39, guarantees freedom of expression and the press. Similarly, Nigeria is a signatory to international conventions protecting journalists from state-backed intimidation. Yet, the reality on the ground tells a different story—one where police institutions are used as tools of oppression rather than protectors of justice.
The Way Forward: End Police Harassment of Journalists
If anyone feels defamed by a publication, the appropriate step is to seek redress in court, not to misuse state security agencies.
As a matter of urgency, we call on:
• The Inspector General of Police to intervene and ensure that the Nigerian Police is not used as a private enforcement agency for defamation claims.
• Civil society organizations and press freedom groups to take up this matter and hold authorities accountable.
• The Nigerian public to resist these oppressive tactics and stand in solidarity with journalists who are courageously reporting the truth.Press freedom is a cornerstone of democracy. The use of police to intimidate, detain, or harass journalists is an attack on the very principles of justice and free speech. This must stop.
E-signed
Editorial Team