Kwara Commissioner Files Criminal Charges Against NupekoTV Founder Amid ₦10m Defamation Case

The legal confrontation between Hon. Usman Yunusa Lade, the Kwara State Commissioner for Water Resources, and the founder of NupekoTV Lafiagi, Tauheed Baruwa Muhammed, has deepened as the Commissioner has now filed criminal charges against the journalist.

In a direct criminal complaint dated September 22, 2025, Hon. Lade accused Muhammed of multiple offences under the Penal Code, including defamation, printing and selling defamatory materials, and criminal intimidation. The latest move marks a significant escalation of the Commissioner’s legal response to what he describes as malicious and false reportage by the online platform.

This development comes even as a ₦10 million civil defamation suit filed earlier by the Commissioner against NupekoTV Lafiagi remains pending in court.

The dispute traces back to a report published by NupekoTV Lafiagi on July 28, 2024, titled “Hon. Usman Lade, Kwara Commissioner for Water Resources, Under Fire for Mismanagement and Neglect.”

The publication alleged that Hon. Lade had neglected his core responsibilities of ensuring access to potable water in Lafiagi and surrounding communities, instead focusing on distributing farm inputs — a role critics claimed was outside his official mandate.

The report also accused the Commissioner of financial mismanagement and administrative incompetence, prompting Hon. Lade to seek redress through both civil and criminal legal channels.

In his criminal complaint, Hon. Lade described the publication as “false, unfounded, malicious, and defamatory,” alleging that it was deliberately republished to cause “grave reputational and emotional injury” to him, his family, and his office.

“The defendant’s actions are criminal in nature and deserve prosecution and punishment in accordance with the law,” the complaint reportedly stated.

Representing the Commissioner in the case are Barristers Dayo M. Zulqurnaini and Abdulmalik Yusuf Bello, who have urged the court to take cognizance of the complaint, issue a warrant for Muhammed’s appearance, and compel him to answer the charges.

The dual-track legal strategy — seeking both financial compensation and criminal punishment — highlights the Commissioner’s determination to challenge what he considers reckless journalism and defend his reputation against public misinformation.

Meanwhile, despite the Commissioner’s insistence that the rehabilitation of the Lafiagi waterworks has been completed, some residents and community stakeholders continue to express dissatisfaction with access to clean water in parts of the area.

Observers say the unfolding legal battle could test the delicate balance between press freedom and personal reputation, raising broader questions about media ethics, accountability, and the limits of journalistic expression in Nigeria’s democratic space.

All eyes will now be on the Kwara State courts as proceedings commence in what may become a defining case for both governance transparency and responsible media practice in the state.