Journalists Allege Police Coercion in GTCO Cyberstalking and Defamation Case, Court Adjourns for Evidence
By Omowumi Omotosho
Four journalists currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi on charges of alleged cyberstalking and defamation, brought by Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) — the parent entity of GTBank — have shared their accounts of being pressured by police to make written statements without access to their lawyers.
The defendants, named in case number FHC/L/774C/2024, maintained that despite their requests for legal representation, they were compelled by the police to write statements under threat of being denied custodial relief.
This case dates back to September 2024, when the journalists — Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami — were detained by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) in Lagos, following a petition from GTCO, which alleged defamation and cyberstalking.
During court proceedings, the defense team, represented by Barristers Olakunle Afolabi and Adebisi Adeniyi, challenged the inclusion of these statements as evidence, contending that they were made under duress and without legal counsel.
During cross-examination, the investigating police officer (IPO), ASP Yaqoub Sule, testified that the statements were written in a comfortable setting but acknowledged that the defendants had made the statements in the absence of their lawyers. ASP Sule admitted that the defendants had informed the police that their legal representatives were en route.
Presiding over the case, Justice Ayokunle Faji postponed further hearings to Friday, October 25, instructing both sides to gather additional evidence to support their positions.
The House of Representatives has recently initiated a probe into accusations of corruption, financial report falsification, and money laundering against Mr. Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), as well as the company itself. This investigation was prompted by a petition from Alhaji Yusuf Kabiru, President of the Arewa Consultative Youth Movement, which was submitted to lawmakers by Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi from Delta State.
Additionally, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has reportedly instructed Guaranty Trust Holding Company to calculate and remit Value Added Tax (VAT) on commissions received from Remita transactions conducted between 2015 and 2022 to the Federal Government.
This directive was issued by the committee, chaired by Bamidele Salam, representative of Ede South/Ede North/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency in Osun State, amid an ongoing inquiry into suspected revenue losses through the Remita platform. GTCO’s Executive Director, Mr. Ahmed Liman, acknowledged during the investigation that the bank had not remitted the VAT over the past eight years.
On October 3, the Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), a non-governmental organization, staged a demonstration at the National Assembly, calling for a legislative investigation into alleged “corruption, fraud, and financial misconduct” within Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO).
In a press release signed by Ambassador Comrade Adebayo Lion Ogorry, Director of Publicity and Mobilization, the organization claimed that a report from a private investigator had uncovered a range of questionable activities at GTCO under the leadership of Segun Julius Agbaje. These alleged activities include unauthorized account openings, fictitious profit declarations, round-tripping, money laundering, financing of terrorism, and the misuse of customer and investor funds to cover penalties in the United Kingdom.
These issues were originally exposed by the journalists now on trial, who had brought them to light through their investigative reporting.
