Samuel Ogundipe, a journalist and reporter with online medium, Premium Times who has been detained in the custody of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) since Tuesday, has been released.
According to information from Premium Times, Ogundipe was released on Friday morning, after meeting the bail conditions, in the sum of N500,000 and a surety who must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction, granted by magistrate Abdulwahab Mohammed of the Kubwa Grade 1 Magistrate Court in Kubwa, Abuja.
The journalist had been secretly arraigned without being allowed legal representation when his case was initially heard on Wednesday, with the magistrate granting the request of the prosecutors that he should be detained in Police custody until August 20.
Ogundipe’s arrest and detention had since Tuesday sparked up widespread criticism of the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Police and its leadership, with lawyers, the media, civil rights groups, Amnesty International and other Nigerians, calling on the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) to call the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to order.
A number of civil society groups were also at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday to demand his release.
Read also: Police gives reasons for its prosecution of Premium Times’ reporter, Samuel Ogundipe.
Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq is a Journalist, Political Analyst and Satirist with major interest in Nigerian Politics, Governance and Sports.
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