By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
The legal battle between the Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, (MAN), Oron Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Emmanuel Duja Effedua and Innocent Orok, the Editor-in-Chief of Experience Times Newspaper and ROAMREPPORTERS Online is expected to come up on September 30, 2022.
A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos fixed the date on Friday June 10 2022.
The Maritime Academy Boss accused the journalist of publishing certain defamatory items against, which had earned him bad image.
The matter which had taken an intimidating dimension, as the Police at State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, had held the maritime journalist in detention for arraignment on Friday 10th June , 2022 at Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos .
Recall that Emmanuel Effedua had instituted a libel case against the reporter in September 2021 at Uyo High Court, in the Akwa Ibom State Capital. But neither he nor his lawyers ever showed up in all the seven sittings of the court in the last nine months.
Orok, in a press statement obtained by our correspondent, said however that Effedua decided to petition the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the same matter, abandoning the court process he had instituted against the him at Uyo Federal High in September 2021.
The reporter said he got an invitation from the Panti Police on the 2nd of March, 2022, and on honoring the invitation with some of his colleagues, it was discovered that the same matter , the Rector instituted at Uyo Federal High Court is the reason he was invited.
But on interrogation, however the Police took the court papers and a statement from the reporter assuring that since the matter was already in court , they would not interfere.
” Surprisingly, on Tuesday, 7th June 2022, the Panti Police called me back and asked me to come on Thursday 9th. Surprisingly too , on getting to Panti , the Police brought out a fresh charge instituted at Ikoyi Court in Lagos on the same matter by the Maritime Academy Rector. Consequently, the Police detained till the next day for arraignment on Friday”
“It is worthy of note that, while the 8th adjournment at the Uyo High Court comes up on Monday, 13th June 2022, the Rector and the Police were charging the Journalist on the same matter at Ikoyi High Court “, the statement noted.
He described this as intimidation and abuse of court process , alleging that his life and that of his family members are in danger.
