By David Oluyide
A lawyer representing musical artist and critic, Afunso Ridwan Abiola, popularly known as Rolex Dee, has decried the alleged poor treatment of his client in police custody, describing his detention as degrading and unjust.
The lawyer, Damilare Adenola, said on Tuesday that he formally took over as legal representative of Rolex Dee after being appointed by his family.
Adenola, in a statement, said he visited his client in custody alongside veteran human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and other Take It Back Movement activists.
He narrated that Rolex Dee was being held in “inhumane conditions” at a former Special Anti-Robbery Squad facility in Dugbe, Ibadan, without adequate food or medical care.
“I found him in a poor state, health wise. He is being held in inhumane conditions, in a former SARS facility in Dugbe, without being fed and medically cared for,” the lawyer said.
“No human being deserves to be held under such degrading conditions, let alone a person who is still only awaiting trial.”
The development comes amid a cybercrime case instituted against Rolex Dee following a complaint by Fuji musician, Adebisi Taye Akande, popularly known as Taye Currency.
The Oyo State Police Command had in April said the musician accused Rolex Dee of cyberbullying, defamation of character and threat to life across multiple social media platforms.
The police said Taye Currency alleged that Rolex Dee, who had previously received N800,000 from him to promote his music career, later made disparaging statements capable of damaging his reputation.
According to the command, the critic also allegedly made defamatory remarks during a public programme, Agbaletu, which were subsequently circulated widely on social media.
The police said Rolex Dee was tracked and arrested in Lagos by its operatives following technical intelligence and was brought to Oyo for further investigation.
However, Adenola said Rolex Dee was first charged on April 29 and arraigned days later, but his bail application had yet to be heard.
He said the trial judge declined to hear the bail application at the last adjournment because of the volume of cases on the cause list, resulting in an adjournment to October 5, following the commencement of the court’s vacation.
According to him, the defence subsequently filed an affidavit of urgency seeking to have the bail application heard by a vacation judge. The matter was referred to Lagos because there were no vacation judges sitting in Ibadan.
Adenola said his interest in the case was justice, arguing that there was no justification for punishing a suspect who had not been tried.
He alleged that the court system was being “weaponised” by interested persons and called for an end to what he described as the criminalisation of speech.
“Anyone who feels injured by such speech has the option of going to a civil court,” he said, urging the public to support the call.
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