Police Quiz ANA Member, Wife Over Criminal Libel

 

The Nigeria Police has quizzed a member of Oyo State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr Abolade Olukokun and his wife, Opeyemi Olukokun, over their alleged criminal libel and threat to the life of the Special Adviser to the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Akogun Tai Oguntayo.

The police had been on the trail of Mr Abolade Olukokun since February 2nd this year when he declined invitation by the Iyaganku Divisional Crime Officer, Mr Ayodeji on the ground that the division did not fall within his (Olukokun's) jurisdiction.

Akogun Oguntayo who doubles as the National General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors however petitioned the Police Area Command where a massive haunt was launched before Olukokun's wife's shop was discovered at new Oluyole Estate in Ibadan where she was served police invitation on Monday 3rd, August 2020.

Oguntayo had claimed that Abolade Olukokun on January 26, 2020 published a damaging story on a WhatsApp group tagged: ANA CAMPAIGN FORUM alleging that he, Akogun Tai Oguntayo, sexually harassed a lady 15 years ago before he (Olukokun) married her last year. Olukokun who claimed never to have met Oguntayo in his life before the publication, based his allegation on what he heard from his wife. He further said that Oguntayo did not even have sex affair with his wife but that he did not give his wife job for allegedly refusing him sex.

Responding, Oguntayo dismissed the allegation which he described as a calculated attempt by Olukokun to smear his integrity because they both belonged to different camps in the then forthcoming ANA election. Oguntayo who said he was not in any position to employ anyone 15 years ago vowed to pursue the case to a logical conclusion because according to him, "he who alleges must prove."

When eventually Olukokun and his wife appeared before the Iyaganku Area Commander,  ACP Oke, they were confronted with the wild allegations and were asked to produce evidence to back it up which they could not do as at press time. 

The Area Commander who expressed his displeasure with the conduct of Olukokun and his wife during the interview session, categorically told Olukokun that: "with the way you are behaving here, it shows you are not socially mature." 

He then asked the Station Officer, ASP Are to take them away so that Olukokun could provide evidence of the post which triggered his libelous allegation.

Speaking further on why he insisted on taking legal action on the matter, Oguntade said: "it has become the practice for some mischievous people to engage in cyber crime to discredit innocent people who they never met except on the social media. 

"The same manner one self-acclaimed author (name withheld) went to publish a damaging story of which I had been discharged and acquitted by a competent court of law seven years ago. I took it up then but some elders in ANA pleaded with me to let go the matter only for this man to have the effrontery to engage in further assassinating  my character again to the extent of making reference to the dismissed case."

The couple was later released on bail and the parties were asked to return to the Area Command on Tuesday 11th August, 2020.