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Police Deny Forcing Premium Times Journalist, Ogundipe To Implicate Saraki

Published

6 years ago

August 18, 2018

The Nigerian police has reacted following claims that it tried to compel Premium Times journalist, Samuel Ogundipe it arrested recently to implicate Senate President Bukola Saraki.
The Nigeria Police Force has denied compelling Samuel Ogundipe of Premium Times online publication to implicate the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, before he could be released from custody.

Mr Ogundipe was arrested on August 14 by the police for the alleged publication of the Inspector-General of police report on the siege of the National Assembly by the Department of State Service.

The police had said that Mr Ogundipe was also being investigated and prosecuted under other offences which violated Official Secret Act, Cyber Crime Act, and the Penal Code Law for which he had volunteered statements.

In a statement, the spokesman for the police, Jimoh Moshood, on Friday in Abuja said no investigator asked Mr Ogundipe to implicate Mr Saraki before he could be released.

“There are video and audio records of the whole interrogation, which include the confessions of Ogundipe and his criminal roles in the commission of the crime for which he is being prosecuted,” he said.

The spokesman said that the video and audio concerning his interrogation would be tendered in evidence in court at the appropriate time.

He implored members of the public to disregard and discountenance the claim that the police asked Mr Ogundipe to implicate Mr Saraki before he could be released.

“It is also untrue, and a blatant misrepresentation of facts that Ogundipe was subjected to any form of brutality, psychological or real torture, while he was in the custody of the police.

“The force will not be deterred from carrying out its statutory duties in ensuring that the rule of law and its supremacy prevails in all matters,” Mr Moshood added.

-NAN