As we warm up for additional adventures in 2023, it is pertinent to take a cursory look into some stories that put WikkiTimes in tight corners with powers that be.
Even with concrete and open-sourced evidence, people named and shamed in WikkiTimes investigative reports heavily relied on the judicial process using the police institution to manipulate the facts. It was stiff for WikkiTimes in 2022, but we understand that the new year won’t be an exception — for we shall keep holding powers to account.
ILLEGALLY DETAINED
In June last year, Haruna Mohammed, publisher of WikkiTimes and his reporter, Kamal Idris Ibrahim were illegally detained for 48 hours at the Bauchi Police Headquarters. Not only that, they were brutalised by some high-profile criminals they met in detention.
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The platform had reported how Hussaini Musa Gwaba, the late Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bauchi State, received threats prior to his mysterious death.
The circumstances of his death, WikkiTimes reports, remained a mystery. An insider told this paper that Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, a federal lawmaker in the state, was not happy with the emergence of Gwaba as the party’s chairman.
In response to the story, the lawmaker petitioned WikkiTimes through Bauchi State Police Command. Subsequently, the police invited the publisher of the platform, Haruna and Kamal who authored the report to respond to the petition. But that was not the case. The policemen taking charge of the matter forcefully detained them at the command’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CID). Haruna and Kamal would be released on bail by a Magistrate court presided over by Baba Sekoni Abdulfathi.
WHEN REPUBLISHING BECOMES AN OFFENCE
In another dramatic scenario, Abdullahi Sa’ad Abdulkadir fondly called BAba Iyali, a member representing Ningi/Warji constituency in the federal House of Representatives recently dragged WikkiTimes publisher to court over an investigation his platform republished from Xchange Hama Media, a Bauchi-based digital platform.
READ: In 2022, WikkiTimes Published 36 Investigative Stories, Here Are the Highlights
The republished story documented how the lawmaker allegedly facilitated the award of a dubious road project in his constituency. It further revealed that the defendant remained a shadow of his former self even after funds were released to Ree Engineering LTD and First Brick Construction LTD, using two different nomenclature, presumably to facilitate the release and diversion of funds in April 2021 and September 2021 respectively.
The lawmaker, however, sued Haruna whose platform republished the investigation alongside two others — Aminu Adamu Ganye and Umar Ibrahim Disina — both from Xchange Hama Media.
THE KANO CASE
In another an exparte litigation, Alhaji Surajo Marshal sued WikkiTimes to a magistrate court in Kano State which issued a criminal summon against the media outlet over an investigative story exposing some irregularities.
The story revealed that about six construction companies were involved in the building of 20 units of one block- of 2-classrooms with furniture, toilets, and offices in selected locations across three senatorial districts in Kano.
The companies include S.A.T Engineering Service LTD, M. Sulum Nigerian LTD, Emacs Engineering Consultant, Pyramid Investment, MGK Global Service LTD and Haitel Nig LTD.
However, S.A.T Engineering Service LTD, M. Sulum Nigerian LTD and their owner, Alhaji Surajo Marshal including one other company through their counsel, Habiba Abdullahi Umar Esq filed a criminal lawsuit before Magistrate Court 18, Justice AB Wali Complex, Gyadi-Gyadi, Kano State.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, Auwal Yusuf Sulaiman will read the criminal charges to WikkiTimes and its reporter, Elijah Ajoki (who authored the report) on January 9, 2023.
ESCAPING ANOTHER POSSIBLE DETENTION
On November 9, 2022, WikkiTimes revealed ‘behind-the-scene’ of how Muhammad Damina, a 68-year-old former commissioner of Information, killed his friend and wanted to enjoy immunity using the influence of Umar Sanda, former Bauchi State Police Commissioner.
To facilitate that, Sanda ordered that the erring commissioner be charged under a traffic law — to lessen his punishment. However, the offence is culpable homicide punishable with death under section 221 of the penal code.
READ: After WikkiTimes’ Story, Kuda Bank Releases Parts of Student’s N15,000
WikkiTimes reports influenced the reformation of Bauchi Police Command as Baba Alkali, Inspector General of Police, redeployed Sanda to Lagos. Sanda was redeployed among other commissioners from other states. Subsequently, the ex-commissioner was remanded and charged under the appropriate law.
Following this, the command invited WikkiTimes’ reporter who authored the investigation, but he refused to honour the invitation owing to the platform’s previous experience with the command.
Also in the month of January 2022, Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the House of Representatives dragged WikkiTimes to court over a publication he described as defamatory.
WikkiTimes had in an exhaustive investigation revealed how a whopping N1 billion constituency project nominated by the former speaker to build model schools in Bauchi South Federal Constituency was mismanaged.
The story which detailed how the former speaker failed in delivering the model school project, also revealed how the contractors who were awarded the contracts shortchanged several communities billed to benefit from the project.
Mr Dogara in the lawsuit is seeking N2 billion, “being general and exemplary damages against the defendant for libel”, and an additional N500,000 as cost of filing and prosecution. The ex-speaker prior to the court action had requested WikkiTimes to withdraw the story and tender an apology, a request the medium ignored, insisting its story was credible.
The legal battle is still ongoing.
WikkiTimes Is Undeterred
Despite these challenges, WikkiTimes, an accountability outlet says it remains undeterred. Its editor, Yakubu Mohammed said “the outlet will continue to hold power to account no matter whose ox is gored. It’s our duty as journalists to make sure that the powerful are always held by the jugular because unchecked power is very inimical to democracy”, he said.
Yakubu added that “at WikkiTimes, our journalists are always ready to tell truth to power no matter the consequences.”
