By Vivian Okejeme
The law firm of Deji Adeyanju & Partners has condemned what it described as a media trial of its client, a medical doctor, Dr John Abebe, and his hospital, Joje Abebe Hospital Limited.
According to the law firm, the media trial is aimed at convicting the medical doctor in the court of public opinion.
It emphasised that allegations contained in a criminal charge against any person remain allegations until they are determined by a competent court on the basis of admissible evidence.
In a statement dated August 13, 2026, and signed by the management of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, the law firm said reports concerning the matter before the court, published on various media platforms, were misleading and a calculated attempt by some individuals to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the medical doctor.
The management of the law firm said: “We are counsel to Dr John Abebe in the ongoing judicial proceedings pending before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, wherein a certain Mr Adamu Hassan Turaki and his wife, Mrs Mary Manga Turaki, are the nominal complainants.
“There are misleading online publications and media reports alleging that a fresh criminal charge has been filed against our client and two others. While our client is ordinarily inclined to ignore the publications, the persistent pattern of these false and misleading publications against our client has compelled this brief public statement in rebuttal.
“Particularly, the intermittent timing, context and general pattern of these publications indicate an instigated media campaign to damage the reputation of our client and his hospital, rather than legitimate reporting of a pending judicial proceeding.
“We wish to unequivocally state that no fresh criminal charge has been instituted against our client. The correct position is that, a few months ago, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation took over the prosecution of the same Charge No. CR/005/26 from the police.”
The law firm said no fresh criminal charge had been filed against its client, adding that the amended charge that was filed had not been moved before the court.
It said: “The latest publications are particularly concerning because they aggravate the continuing campaign of media trial against our client, Dr John Abebe, and his hospital.
“Such publications risk undermining the integrity of the judicial process and prejudicing public perception of pending proceedings. They are also observably calculated to furtively cause unwarranted reputational damage to persons who remain entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence.
“We emphasise that allegations contained in a criminal charge remain allegations until determined by a competent court on the basis of admissible evidence. The guilt or innocence of the defendants is not a matter to be determined by media reports, social media publications or sensational headlines.
“We therefore call upon journalists, media practitioners, media organisations and other commentators reporting on this matter to exercise the highest degree of professionalism and responsibility, verify facts before publication, and refrain from disseminating reports that inaccurately portray the processes or procedural status of the pending case.
“Continuing with the trend of inaccurate and misleading reports hints at a resolve to secure conviction in the court of public opinion rather than in the courtroom,” the statement said.
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