The four journalists standing trial before the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, in the alleged cyberstalking and defamation case filed by Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), holding company of GTBank, have told the presiding judge they were coerced by the police to write statements, without access to legal representation.
The defendants in suit number FHC/L/774C/2024 claimed that despite their requests to consult with their lawyers, the police forced them to write statements, threatening to deny them custody leave unless they complied.
The journalists—Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami — were arrested in September 2024 by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, following a petition by GTCO accusing them of defamation and cyberstalking.
In their argument, the defence legal team led by including Olakunle Afolabi and Adebisi Adeniyi objected to the admittance of the statements as evidence, arguing that the statements were taken involuntarily and under coercion.
Earlier, during cross-examination, the IPO, Yaqoub Sule, claimed that the suspects wrote their statements in a conducive environment. He, however, admitted before the court that the suspects wrote the statements without their legal representatives present, stating that the defendants had informed the police that their lawyers were on their way.
The trial Judge, Justice Ayokunle Faji adjourned the trial to Friday, October 25, and asked both parties to provide further evidence to validate their claims.
