The Independent Media Commission (IMC) received a complaint from Dr. Allieu Mohamed Bah, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Njala University, on 5th March 2026 against Night Watch Newspaper and the writer, Mr. Alie Badara.
The Commission conducted one hearing session on the matter. The hearing took place on 17th March 2026 and was attended by Dr. Allieu Mohamed Bah – Complainant; Mr. Saio Kamara – Managing Editor, Night Watch Newspaper; Mr. Emmanuel Thorlie – Publisher, Night Watch Newspaper and Mr Alie Badara Reporter Night Watch Newspaper.
Complainant’s Case
Restating his complaint before the Committee, Dr. Bah stated that his complaint arose from an article published by Night Watch Newspaper on 9th February 2026 titled: “Assessing Dr. Allieu Mohamed Bah’s Tenure as Vice Chancellor of Njala University.”
According to Dr. Bah, the publication contained false, malicious, misleading and defamatory statements concerning his tenure as Vice Chancellor of Njala University. He submitted that the publication was intended to tarnish his hard-earned reputation and damage his professional standing.
He further informed the Committee that neither Night Watch Newspaper nor the writer, Mr. Alie Badara, contacted him to obtain his side of the story before publishing the article.
Dr. Bah identified the following allegations contained in the publication:
- That he maintained a poor working relationship with his immediate supervisor and other academic staff.
- That he engaged in unfair financial practices and presided over financial irregularities.
- That insecurity increased on the Njala University campus as a result of his ineffective leadership.
- That he performed poorly during an evaluation interview and demonstrated multifaceted failures in leadership.
Dr. Bah maintained that these allegations were false, misleading, grossly distorted and inaccurate. He further contended that the publication was motivated by malice and deliberately portrayed him as incompetent. According to him, the article caused serious damage to his professional reputation, public image and academic integrity.
Respondent’s Case
Responding to the complaint, Mr. Saio Kamara, Managing Editor of Night Watch Newspaper, stated that the newspaper stood by the publication. He explained that the information contained in the article was obtained from an Evaluation Report published by the University Court.
When asked whether such a report existed, Dr. Bah acknowledged that the University Court had established an evaluation committee. However, he stated that he had never been provided with a copy of the committee’s report.
The Managing Editor of Night Watch Newspaper and Mr. Alie Badara subsequently submitted a copy of the purported Evaluation Report to the Committee.
To independently verify the matter, the Commission wrote to the University Court requesting confirmation of the existence of the report and an official copy to assist the Commission in arriving at an informed decision.
In its response, the University Court confirmed that the Evaluation Report existed and stated that it was in the public domain. However, the university was unable to provide the Commission with an official copy of the report.
Committee’s Findings
After considering the evidence presented by both parties, the Committee found that:
- The University Court confirmed the existence of the Evaluation Report.
- However, despite the Commission’s formal request, the University Court did not provide an official copy of the report for the Committee’s consideration.
- Consequently, the Committee was constrained in fully assessing the authenticity, accuracy and context of the information relied upon by the respondents, as it did not have access to an official version of the report during its deliberations.
Having carefully considered the complaint, the responses of the parties, and the available evidence, the Committee determined that the publication failed to demonstrate that adequate verification had been undertaken before publication, particularly in light of the absence of an officially authenticated report before the Committee.
Ruling
The Independent Media Commission at its meeting held on 27th July 2026, ratified the recommendation of the Complaints Committee inline with Section 19(6) of the IMC Act 2020, as follows:
- That Night Watch Newspaper be formally warned to desist from publishing articles containing allegations of a serious nature without first adequately verifying the information and ensuring compliance with professional journalistic standards as provided in Regulation 5(1) of The Print and Electronic Media Regulations 2022, (A media practitioner or institution shall (a) take reasonable steps to provide accurate, balance and credible information to the general public).
- That Night Watch Newspaper publish a full retraction of the impugned article with equal prominence in its next available edition immediately upon receipt of this ruling.
- That Night Watch Newspaper publish an unreserved apology to Dr. Allieu Mohamed Bah with due prominence in the same edition in which the retraction is carried.
