Broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat has been released on administrative bail by the police following his arrest on Thursday, May 26.
Mr Hamzat’s arrest followed complaint by Ahmed Aderoju, the lawyer of an hotelier Ramon Adedoyin, accusing Hamzat and others, including one Babagbade Imo, Woibile and IJKFMB Music Yard, of criminal defamation, false alarm, incitement, false publication, cyberstalking and criminal threat.
Hamzat, who founded Agidigbo FM, has been calling for justice for the late Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
Mr Adegoke died in Hilton Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State last year. Adedoyin, who owns the hotel, is facing trial alongside six of his employees over Adegoke’s death.
Confirming Hamzat’s release on bail, head of station of Agidigbo FM, Ibadan, Adebayo Yousuph said in a statement on Friday, May 27, “It is with a heart filled with immense gratitude and huge relief that we confirm to the general public that Mr Oriyomi Hamzat has finally regained his freedom after the arrest that spanned the entirety of yesterday.
“He was released on bail to his lawyers after due conversations with the authorities particularly with respect to the petition written against him by Rahman Adedoyin’s lawyers and the validity of his consequent arrest.”
The statement denied claims by the police that Hamzat refused to honour invitations for questioning. It said that at no point did he “refuse to honour invitations from the Nigerian Police Force as wrongly alleged by the Force PRO.”
The station also thanked the general public, Nigerians in diaspora, the Nigerian Union of Journalists and others who joined in the call for Hamzat’s release.
