Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano has ruled that while the court can subpoena a journalist to testify, the reporter retains the right to protect their sources unless those sources are directly linked to the case.
The ruling followed a heated debate between prosecution counsel S.O. Ekwe and defence counsel Abubakar Mahmoud.
The dispute arose from a suit filed by the Inspector-General of Police against Ahmad Rabiu, stemming from a PREMIUM TIMES investigative report on the ownership of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited.
At the resumed hearing of the case (suit number FHC/KN/CR/378/2025) on Monday, the prosecution applied to call PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter, Abubakar Maishanu, to the witness box as a prosecution witness.
Mr Maishanu had authored an investigative report published by PREMIUM TIMES in September last year. The exposé revealed how former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje secretly transferred the state government’s 20 per cent stake in the dry port to private individuals.
