The International Press Center (IPC), Lagos has demanded the immediate release of a photojournalist with Talk Village International in Lagos, Yinka Badmus.
The 24-year-old journalist was arrested on New Year’s eve by policemen attached to the Lagos State Anti-Cultism unit for wearing dreadlocks, which the officers allegedly said made him looked like a cultist.
Yinka Badmus is currently being held at Ikoyi Prisons.
In a statement on Saturday, the director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, said it was unconstitutional for Mr Badmus to have been detained for many days before he was eventually arraigned and remanded on the orders of an Ogudu Magistrate Court, Lagos.
Mr Arogundade
The IPC director also enjoined journalists to be mindful of their safety and ensure they have a means of identification on them at all times.
The police have, however, denied that the journalist was detained because of his hairstyle.
A statement by Lagos police spokesman, Chike Oti, on Saturday said Badmus and 13 others were charged to Ogudu Magistrate Court on Friday, January 4 on two-count charges.
“The first count is conspiracy i.e for conspiring amongst themselves to commit felony to wit membership of unlawful society contrary to and punishable under Section 411, Cap CH, C17, Vol. 3 Laws of Lagos, 2015. The second count holds them for belonging to an unlawful society known as Eiye confraternity contrary to and punishable under Section 42(a), Cap CH, C17 Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.
“The suspects were however granted bail in the sum of fifty thousand Naira (N50,000) by a court of competent jurisdiction. However, those who could not meet the bail conditions were remanded in prison custody pending when they would meet the stipulated conditions for their bail. This is an issue that is neither within the purview of Force nor its control,” Mr Oti said.
The statement added that there is no section of the Lagos State Criminal Law and indeed the Criminal Code that criminalises hairstyle.
“Therefore, there is no way the said Yinka Badmus could have been charged to court for wearing dreadlocks by the police. Suspects are charged to court based on the existing law and not for mundane reasons,” the statement concluded.
