4 days ago
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Justice Rita Offili Ajumogobia has ordered the remand of a lawyer, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and 4 others astatine the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Area 10, Abuja, till November 10, pursuing their arraignment connected alleged cyber bullying of a serving lawmaker, Senator Shehu Buba Umar, representing Bauchi South senatorial territory successful the Senate.
The lawyer was connected Thursday enactment connected proceedings by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on with 4 others namely, Daure David, Ishaq Abubakar Muhammed, Abdulrashid Abdullahi Musa and Nasiru Usman Abubakar, for allegedly blackmailing the president of Senate Committee connected National Security and Intelligence.
They were arraigned by the IGP connected 11-count complaint bordering connected cyberbullying, beforehand interest fraud and extortion.
However, erstwhile the charges were work earlier Justice Ajumogobia, the lawyer and the different 4 defendants pleaded not blameworthy to the charges.
Upon their pleas of not blameworthy plea, Counsel to the prosecution, Victor Okoye, asked for a day for proceedings and that the defendants beryllium remanded astatine the Kuje Custodial Centre successful Abuja.
Counsel to the lawyer, Affis Matanmi, however, moved a bail exertion connected behalf of his client, whom helium said, is simply a ineligible practitioner of the Supreme Court and volition not interfere with constabulary probe and witnesses if admitted to bail.
He reminded the tribunal that police, connected their own, granted the archetypal suspect administrative bail, which helium did not leap because, arsenic a lawyer, helium knows the consequences of jumping bail.
However, the bail petition was vehemently opposed by the counsel to prosecution, Victor Okoye, who informed the tribunal that soon aft the lawyer was admitted to bail, helium engaged successful 2 different cyber bullying and that, helium featured prominently successful 5 of the 11-count charges.
Okoye argued that, although, the archetypal suspect is simply a confirmed ineligible practitioner, helium did not merit immoderate preferential oregon peculiar attraction due to the fact that determination is nary proviso successful the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the 1999 Constitution that confers immoderate peculiar attraction connected immoderate ineligible practitioner progressive successful criminality.
After taking arguments for and against the bail application, Justice Ajumogobia ordered that the defendants beryllium remanded astatine the Force CID till November 10 for the lawyer to the archetypal suspect to record further affidavit and reply connected constituent of instrumentality to the weighty allegations contained successful the counter-affidavit of the prosecution.
The Judge subsequently adjourned the substance till November 10.
In number one, the defendants were alleged to have, sometime successful 2025, conspired among themselves “to perpetrate an offence, to wit; cyberstalking against Senator Shehu Buba Umar.”
The offence is said to beryllium contrary to Section 27(1)(b) and punishable nether Section 21(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024.
In number three, Barr. Abdulrahman, the 1st defendant, was alleged to person sometime successful 2025, intentionally sent a video via his Tiktok grip with idiosyncratic sanction “Kibanna Channel” and his Youtube transmission to defame the Bauchi lawmaker by linking him to sponsorship of banditry with a presumption to tarnishing his representation arsenic a serving Senator.
The fishy was alleged to person stated that “Senator Umar, a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is simply a sponsor of banditry and called for his investigation, a connection you made by means of machine systems and web knowing aforesaid to beryllium false, for the intent of causing breakdown of instrumentality and bid and causing the Senator fearfulness of death.”
The offence is besides said to beryllium contrary to Section 24(1)(5) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024, among different counts.
In 1 of the counts, Daure David was accused of attempting to cod N5 cardinal from Senator Umar nether mendacious pretence that the wealth volition beryllium utilized to settee those readying to protestation against him.
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