Appeal Court Quashes Kwara govt’s Case Against Saraki
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the criminal defamation and cyberbullying case filed by the Kwara State Government against former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, as the court declared that the charge and…
The case stemmed from a criminal defamation and cyberbullying charge brought by the Kwara State Government against Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President and one of the state's most prominent political figures, whose relationship with the current administration has been marked by years of political rivalry since he lost his grip on Kwara's political machinery. Critics of such prosecutions have long argued that Nigeria's cyberstalking and criminal defamation laws are frequently deployed by state actors against political opponents and government critics, raising concerns about press freedom and the use of the courts to settle political scores rather than genuine legal grievances.
Both Daily Trust and ThisDay agree that the Court of Appeal in Ilorin dismissed the charges, though ThisDay's framing as a "free speech" case underscores the broader implications the ruling may have for how such laws are applied to political speech. Neither report provides details on the specific statements that triggered the original charge, the exact grounds on which the appellate court threw out the case, or whether the Kwara government intends to pursue further legal action.