The police on Thursday arraigned the Managing Editor of BIGPEN Online newspaper, Joe Ogbodu, and another journalist in Delta State, Prince Amour Udemude, at the Magistrate Court 5 Asaba, over a story on former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia, and one Sam Ogrih.
The story was about a bloody crisis rocking Uzere community under Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.
General Ogomudia and Ogrih were been allegedly fingered in the recent N20m oil crisis in the community and the sponsoring and funding of armed youth with the codename “Freedom Fighters”.
The armed youth were said to have been unleashing mayhem on the community.
The accused persons had denied involvement in the crisis and sponsoring of the armed youth in the community.
The two journalists were charged by the police for misdemeanour to with defamatory.
The two journalists after listening to the five-count charge, pleaded not guilty and their counsels, Chuks Ebu and Lawrence Obiorah, applied for their bail.
The Presiding Magistrate of the court, B.N. Anumadu, granted the journalists bail and adjourned the case until November 12, 2019 for hearing.
