Alleged defamation: Court grants Mashood Mustapha, brother N5m bail
Honourable Justice M. Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, has on Monday granted bail in the sum of N5 million to an APC Chieftain, Hon. Mashood Mustapha and his brother, Bolakale Mustapha, in connection with an alleged defamation suit instituted by Kwara State Governor, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
It would be recalled that Governor AbdulRahman in May dragged Hon. Mustapha, a former lawmaker and prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to court over alleged defamation.
Mustapha, and his brother were reportedly arraigned over charges ranging from criminal defamation to conspiracy and incitement.
The petition was reportedly authored by Mr. Fafoluyi Olayinka Solace, a Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Kwara State Governor
The petition reportedly accused the APC Chieftain and his associate of making statements deemed injurious to the image of the state government.
The case has now been adjourned to July 18, 2025.
Background
The litigation between Governor AbdulRahman and Honourable Mustapha has been largely described as politically motivated, which stemmed out of the controversial demolition of Mustapha’s Crystal house shopping complex in Ilorin.
According to a statement from the Kwara State Geographic Information Service, the building was found to have violated a land use approval issued in 2013.
The agency said the structure obstructed urban planning efforts, road expansion, and environmental protection, which are part of the government’s urban renewal programme.
Meamwhile, Mustapha had earlier accused the state government of awarding the Kwara hotel contract at an inflated cost, ignoring his N3 billion proposal.
Mustapha explained that his company, Crystal Group, had previously secured approval to handle the Kwara Hotel concession for N3 billion, but the state government opted to award the contract to another company for N17.8 billion
