Gombe Court acquits Goje’s media aide over fake post
Gombe High Court four presided by Justice Haruna Kerengs, has acquitted Senator Danjuma Goje’s Social Media Aide, Muhammadu Yayari.
Yayari has been facing trial over a case brought by the Attorney General of Gombe State for posting that 85 percent of All Progressives Congress (APC) executive members in Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area had resigned.
A post the APC and government officials frowned at saying that it was malicious and fake news.
Our correspondent reports that he was later granted bail by Chief Magistrate Suleiman Kumo of Chief Magistrate Court 4 Pantami after days of detention at the custodial centre.
The jurist quashed the trial described it as null and void.
According to him, merely posting in the social media that people have resigned their appointment is not an offence known to law.
He said, “Secondly, the proceedings conducted before the Chief Magistrate Court 4 Pantami and transferred to Chief Magistrate Court 11 was a nullity and hereby quashed.
“Thirdly, that the letter of transfer by the Chief Registrar of Gombe State High Court from Chief Magistrate Court 4 to Chief Magistrate Court 11 is also a nullity especially when there was no fair hearing giving to the applicant and is hereby quashed,” said Justice Kerengs.
The lead counsel for the applicant, Barrister Haruna Lukas said the rule of law has succeeded and the judiciary has again becomes the bastion of hope for the common man.
Responding the Defence Counsel, Barr. Luka Haruna, on the prayer that was not granted by the court, Lukas said the legal team would go and carefully study the ruling of the court on it and decide on the next line of action.
“The ruling is saying that the police cannot be stopped from performing their constitutional duties. Yes, it is true, the police have to maintain their constitutional duties and part of their constitutional duties is being unbiased and fair to everybody.
“They cannot chose the state against it’s citizens. The citizens make the state, the citizens are the government and the citizens are the employers of the people that manage state resources. So citizen must be accorded their due respect impartial,” he said.
Haruna appealed to those who are been persecuted for posting something against the government on social media to continue, he added, “they should stand upright and courageous and challenge whatever decision of the state against them before the court of law.”
