By Our Correspondent
A consultant and owner of a hotel popularly known as De Jay’s Guest Inn, Mr Victor Balogun, has been charged to court for alleged criminal intimidation of a journalist over a news report in Kaduna, North-West Nigeria.
Balogun was on Monday, August 19, 2025, arraigned at Upper Customary Court, Television, Kaduna, on a charge bordering on criminal intimidation, by the Sabon Tasha police divisional headquarters.
According to the Police First Information Report (FIR), signed by Inspector Bulus Alamu, and dated August 12, 2025, the journalist, Mr. Idibia Ude Gabriel, lodged a report at Sabon Tasha police station that he received a phone call from Balogun, who allegedly threatened to deal with him over the news report.
Mr. Idibia explained that the alleged phone call from Balogun was in respect of a news report he worked on and published pertaining to a raid conducted by Special Joint Task Force personnel on June 26, 2025, on De Jay’s Hotel which is located in Ungwan Boro, Kaduna.
The published news report was also lifted and published by other online news publications.
The FIR further stated that the journalist then reported to the police that Balogun threatened him, demanding that he retract the publication in the online news reports and redeem the image of his hotel.
According to him, Balogun threatened that if Mr. Idibia failed to accede to the demand, he (journalist) will face consequences, warning that he (Balogun) could be very dangerous.
The journalist had earlier on June 26, 2025 reported that security operatives, suspected to be members of the Joint Task Force, carried out coordinated raids on hotels in Kaduna State, arresting dozens of crime suspects.
Headlined ‘Kaduna: Security Operatives Raid Hotels, Arrest Dozens of Suspects’, the report read,in part: “The raid, which occurred late Tuesday night, was witnessed in the Ungwan Boro community of Sabo Tasha, Chikun LGA of Kaduna suburb.”
Mr. Idibia reported further: “Eyewitnesses and our correspondent, who witnessed the final stages of the operation, reported that the operatives arrived in convoys at De Jay’s Guest Inn, through its small gate, around 8 p.m.
“Hotel staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that dozens of suspected drug users—including alleged internet fraudsters and a regular guest—were arrested and taken away by the operatives.
“Some staff members were allegedly molested by the operatives for resisting or misbehavior. Drugs were reportedly found in possession of some of the suspects.
“Eyewitnesses further alleged that the raid was not limited to De Jay’s Guest Inn but also extended to other hotels in Sabon Tasha and surrounding areas.
“According to an insider, the guest room of a regular lodger, popularly known as Jessy, was forcibly entered after the guest allegedly refused to respond to knocks by the security operatives.
“When contacted, the Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, was yet to respond as of the time of filing this report.
“A clarification message sent to the police spokesman read: ‘Security operatives raided De Jay’s Guest Inn, located in Ungwan Boro, on Tuesday night and arrested dozens of crime suspects, including a regular guest known as Jessy. Is the command aware of this incident or any related details, please?’ “
PHOTO CAPTION: The police FIR.
