LEADERSHIP Newspapers Kaduna Bureau Chief Midat Joseph arrested on Wednesday 19th April, 2017 and detained since then by the men of the Nigerian Police force, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been released on bail yesterday 21st April, 2017.
Joseph and one Eusebius Yayock were arrested over a comment on a Whatsup platform group chat were they had contributed to a conversation to a call for a protest against the continued killings in Southern Kaduna area of Kaduna State.
They were first detained on Wednesday at the metropolitan police station also known as metro police by the CID from where they were transfered to the Kaduna Police Command Headquarters and also held over night by the CID in their Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) cell from where they were charged to court for prosecution.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) obtained by our correspondent, they are being charged for criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance and injurious false hold. This is contrary to trending falsehood and malicious report being circulated on the social media attributing their arrest to gun running.
The FIR also added That Joseph on a social network forum known as Southern Kaduna Victims Support (SKVS) made an inciting comments injurious publication which where made with intention to cause public disturbance inn Kaduna State over alleged killing of Southern Kaduna contrary to section 97,114 and 393 of penal code law of Kaduna state 1991.
Counsels to Midat and the other accused person, James Kanyip Esq and Maxwell Kyom Esq applied for their bail which was graciously granted by the Chief Magistrate.
The presiding magistrate, Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Yusuf presiding over Chief Magistrate court 1of Ibrahim Taiwo road, Kaduna granted Joseph and the other accused person bail each in the sum of Fifty thousand Naira (N50,000) and a reliable and respectable surety in like sum and adjourned the case to the 31st May, 2017 for continuation on the matter.
Earlier, Joseph and the other accused person had pleaded not guilty to the charges labelled against them.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kaduna council in a communique issued and signed by the council Secretary Dauda Idris Doka at the end of its congress had appealed to Kaduna State government to assist towards the release of their colleaque.