Court Rules Journalist Can Shield Sources Even Under Subpoena
A reporter was called to the witness box in a police case. The court still refused to force him to name his sources.
A subpoena is not a blank cheque, and a Kano court just drew the line.
The Ruling
Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court in Kano has held that a journalist compelled to testify in a criminal trial can still protect the identity of their sources, provided those sources are not directly linked to the case at hand.
How It Started
The case arose from a suit filed by the Inspector-General of Police against Ahmad Rabiu, stemming from a Premium Times investigation into the ownership of Dala Inland Dry Port Limited. The prosecution sought to call the paper's reporter, Abubakar Maishanu, as a witness, prompting defence counsel Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, to object on the basis that journalists can only be compelled to disclose sources under exceptionally narrow circumstances.
What the Court Decided
Justice Amobeda confirmed the court's power to subpoena a journalist, but drew a firm distinction: that power does not strip a reporter of source protection unless the source itself is tied to the matter being tried.
Why It Matters
Source protection is one of the quiet pillars holding up investigative journalism. A ruling like this reassures reporters covering sensitive stories, corruption, ownership disputes, official misconduct, that their sources won't be handed over on demand simply because a case ends up in court
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