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“Criminal Defamation Is a Serious Offence”, Jacob Idinye Cautions Fisayo Soyombo, Tells NUJ To Intervene
Two time governorship aspirant in Edo State, and public affairs analyst, High Chief Jacob Egietseme Idinye has taken a swipe at a “self-acclaimed” investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo over his allegation that seized items by men of the Nigeria Customs Service which are often paraded on air are later returned back to the owners after “money must have exchanged hands”.
Idinye who also berated Soyombo for discrediting journalists who cover Maritime sector, called on the Nigeria Union of Journalists to invite him (Soyombo) to substantiate his claims with prove and caution him for making further misleading comment and stop fabricating stories against Customs officers who have surpassed their targets in the discharge of their statutory duties.
During a press conference he addressed Saturday morning (April 6, 2024) at a popular hotel in Lagos, Idinye condemned the activities of people who are paid to do hatchet job with the intent to over heat the polity and upset the apple cart.
Idinye described criminal defamation as a serious offence and that no one should be allowed to infringe on other people’s right simply because they are hiding under the cover of “investigative journalism” which is at variance with the known professional ethical standards.
The Edo born politician who is also a winner of over 32 different professional awards in Maritime Reporting and Customs activities maintained that the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of Mr Wale Adeniyi (MFR), a thorough bred public servant has raised the bar of efficiency in public service and has turned around the fortunes of the service in terms of revenue generation, land border security as well as instilling discipline, patriotism and professional competence in all his personnel in the overall interest of the nation.
“The Nigerian extant rules are very clear on a matter like this, especially the provisions of Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, any person who publishes any defamatory matter is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year; and any person who publishes any defamatory matter knowing it to be false, is liable to imprisonment for two years. This remains sacrosanct. Nobody can hide behind his or her laptop to spread falsehoods and go about tarnishing the image of those who doing their best to protect our borders and wage war against economic saboteurs who don’t wish our nation well.”
“No Customs officer will go that low by returning seized contraband goods back to the owners. This is totally far from truth. Soyombo should be properly guided, and his sponsors, too, must be ready to face the full weight of the law. We can all recall that many of these seized items for example cars, are auctioned out in a most transparent manner and the revenue generated are remitted to the Federal Government bank accounts through the Federal Ministry of Finance in a most transparent manner. Most recently, some seized rice were sold out to the members of the public at a subsidized rate, but nothing was hidden. That is the way the service has been operating, and that excellent culture of openness, transparency, and accountability has never changed. So, the self-acclaimed investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, should tell the world where he is fabricating his own type of story, which is primarily based on falsehoods, insincerity and deception.
“This is one attack too many on his part. Discrediting journalists who cover the Maritime sector and Customs activities is totally unacceptable and should be sanctioned. This is also a wake up call to the highly revered leaders of the Nigeria Union of Journalists to look into this matter by inviting Soyombo to substantiate all his claims with prove and caution him for making further misleading comment and equally stop him for cooking up stories against customs personnel who have overtime surpassed their targets in the discharge of their statutory duties.
“So all those seizures evidently displayed on TV stations and newspapers across the country are fake? Later, the seized items would now be sold back to the alleged smugglers, according to Soyombo’s jaundiced estimation? This is so ridiculous and most unfortunate; social media is filled with all sorts of madness, and I think it should be regulated to an extent. We are not in a Banana Republic, Nigeria is a country governed by law, the so-called investigative journalist must be seen to be disciplined, decent, professional and socially responsible in his conduct in line with the professional ethical standards.” Idinye stated.
Fear in the Middle East as Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the United States of violating prior understandings amid an ongoing naval blockade.
In a statement on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that control of the strategic waterway had “returned to its previous state,” citing continued US restrictions on Iranian ports as justification for the move.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global transit route, is a chokepoint through which a significant share of the world’s crude oil passes daily. Any disruption is expected to send immediate shockwaves through global energy markets.
Reacting to the development, US President Donald Trump insisted that Washington would not back down, stating that the naval blockade “will remain in full force” until “our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.”
He did not elaborate on the specifics of the “transaction.”
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had offered a contrasting position, saying the strait remained “completely open” to commercial vessels.
He emphasized that maritime activities were proceeding “in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon” and along “the coordinated route as already announced.”
The conflicting statements have added to confusion over the actual status of the waterway, with shipping companies and global observers scrambling to assess risks in real time.
Meanwhile, President Trump also disclosed that Israel had been “prohibited” from launching further strikes on Lebanon, as a fragile 10-day ceasefire entered its first full day.
The pause in hostilities has allowed tens of thousands of displaced civilians to begin returning to their homes after weeks of intense Israeli bombardment.
The situation remains fluid, with fears mounting that any miscalculation in the Gulf could trigger a wider regional confrontation.
Observers say the coming hours will be critical in determining whether diplomatic channels can ease tensions or if the standoff will deepen further.
The leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) deepened on Friday as the faction led by the party’s National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe, and House of Representatives member, Leke Abejide, has rejected their reported expulsion, describing it as illegal and the product of a “hijacked structure.”
The duo also dismissed claims that they were being sponsored by President Bola Tinubu, insisting that allegations of external sponsorship were mere propaganda aimed at discrediting their stance.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Bala maintained that those who announced their expulsion lacked the legal standing to do so, arguing that they were not recognised members of the party.
“Our suspension is nullity. These individuals are not even members of our party, so they lack the locus to take such decisions. We will fight it to the last point,” he said.
He further ruled out any form of negotiation with the rival bloc, stating that there was no agreement between his leadership and the coalition-backed faction.
“I cannot negotiate with people who are not members of our party. There is no understanding or arrangement with them whatsoever,” Bala added.
The crisis follows a convention held in Abuja on April 14 by a faction aligned to former Senate President, David Mark, where the expulsion of Bala, Abejide and others over alleged anti-party activities was announced.
But the Bala-led leadership has dismissed the exercise as unlawful, insisting it violates subsisting court orders and lacks the recognition of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He warned that actions taken in defiance of a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on March 12, 2026, were liable to be voided by the courts.
According to him, the matter has gone beyond internal party disagreement, alleging that forged documents bearing his signature had surfaced as part of efforts to legitimise the actions of the rival group.
On his part, Abejide described the purported expulsion as laughable, accusing the opposing faction of attempting to destabilise the party.
“These are people who came to destroy this party. They have no stake here and cannot dictate the future of ADC,” he said.
The lawmaker, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State, warned that the lingering crisis could jeopardise the party’s electoral prospects if not urgently resolved.
“I am not a political merchant running from one party to another party. I have been in ADC since 2017 and never changed party but many of the coalition’s leaders have moved from PDP to ACN to APC back to PDP to APGA to Labour Party to NNPP to ADC, and so on. Our insistence in resisting them is because of their habitual character of political use and dump.
“My so-called suspension and that of Nafiu Bala Gombe is in contempt of the orders of both the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court and as such I have briefed my Lawyers on possible litigation against their purported suspension for record purpose, which is a visitation of hostility on me while my case is in court. The principles of law forbid this; in our jurisprudence it is called Lis pendis.”
Abejide cautioned that his camp would not hesitate to walk away if the party was pushed to the brink.
“At the stage we are now, if this is not resolved quickly, anyone contesting on this platform risks their political career,” he added.
He also questioned the credibility of the coalition figures, alleging that many of them had a history of moving across multiple political parties.
Abejide warned that the ongoing crisis could prevent the ADC from fielding candidates in future elections, blaming the rival faction for any such outcome.
“If at the end of these shenanigans ADC cannot field candidates, then the coalition people should be blamed for the failure,” he added. (The Guardian)
Suspected bandits have reportedly attacked the palace of a traditional ruler in Olayinka community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting the monarch, his wife, and one other person in the early hours of Saturday.
According to sources who spoke to newsmen, the armed men stormed the palace around 1:40 a.m., firing sporadically before taking the royal father to an unknown destination.
Yes. At Olayinka at about 1 am. His wife and one other person were also abducted.
The Monarch is one of the recently graded.”
Another source added, “The bandits invaded the palace around 1:40 a.m. on Saturday. They came heavily armed and took the monarch away without resistance because everyone was terrified.”
The abducted monarch was said to have been recently elevated and officially installed by the Kwara State Government earlier this year, a development that has made the incident particularly shocking to residents.
The attack is the third reported case of a traditional ruler being kidnapped in Kwara South within a year. In 2025, two monarchs in the region were abducted by suspected bandits and were only released after ransom payments were made.
Just in: Iran seals Strait of Hormuz again, blames US
Expulsion: Bala, Abejide vow to battle Mark-led ADC faction to finish
Just in: Bandits reportedly kidnap newly installed monarch, wife, one other in Kwara
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