The disagreement between Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara
Reporters, and Lekan Fatodu, a UK-based journalist, is about to be resolved,
following the intervention of some legal practitioners.
Both men were involved in a brawl
in Ikeja, capital of Lagos state, on Wednesday.
The police had to intervene, and they were taken to the office of
the commissioner of police in the state, from where the matter was transferred
to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
The two of them were released from the station on Wednesday night,
but told to report by 2pm on Thursday.
In separate interviews with TheCable,
both men traded blames for the spat.
But at Panti on Thursday, Tunji Abayomi, human rights lawyer,
appealed to the two parties to sheathe their swords.
He fixed a meeting at his chambers for Tuesday, expressing
optimism that the issue would be resolved.
Shortly after the encounter at the station, Femi Falana,
Lagos-based lawyer, said the police had “thrown out the case”.
“The complaint against Sowore was thrown out by the Lagos state
police command this afternoon,” he said in a statement.
“The police said that the allegation of blackmail was not
established against Mr. Omoyele Sowore. With respect to the complaint of
defamation of character by Sahara Reporters publication the complainant was
advised by the police to approach a civil court for legal redress.”
Sowore and Fatodu shared their experiences on Facebook, but
none of them used abusive words like they did earlier.
“I was at the Nigeria Police State CID in Lagos prepared to face
‘charges’, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni had promised he’d file
today, they came up empty handed and I am now back on the beat!” Sowore wrote.
“I will give a detailed position of the other intrigues later.”
On his part, Fatodu said: “I thank everyone who was present at the
Panti Police Station, and appreciation to Dr. Tunji Abayomi, the senior lawyer
and respectable statesman who pleaded to the police and both parties involved
in the current matter to accord him the honour of engagement with the parties
concerned in his law chambers on Tuesday 17th January 2016.
“He also urged the two parties to cease cyber exchanges until
after the Tuesday’s meeting, a position he stated openly before the press
and all present after today’s meeting.”
But Sowore said he reserved the right to pursue the criminal
aspect of the case.
“I reserve the right to pursue the criminal aspect of the case,”
he told TheCable
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