JUDICIARY
Alleged Cyberstalking: Court Admits Social Media Influencer to N10m Bail
A Federal High Court on Thursday admitted Chude Nnamdi, a social media influencer bail in the sum of N10 million.
Nnamdi, who was arraigned before Justice Gladys Olotu, pleaded not guilty to a one-count charge of cyberstalking.
Justice Olotu also ordered Nnamdi to produce one surety, who must be a level 14 civil servant or a resident of the FCT with verified landed property.
Report says that the Inspector-General of Police, the complainant, had sued Nnamdi as a sole defendant in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/130/2023.
In the amended charge dated and filed on April 17, the police alleged that Nnamdi, on March 13 within the jurisdiction of the court did knowingly and intentionally send a message through a tweet from his Twitter handle “Chude” by means of computer system and network.
“That you know to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to the person of Dr. Emeka Offor and thereby commit cyberstalking punishable under Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) ACT, 2015.”
Earlier when the matter was called for arraignment, the prosecuting counsel, Victor Okoye, informed that he had an amended charge.
Okoye, therefore, made an oral application to substitute the initial charge filed in March with the present charge but Gabriel Chikwado-Eze, who appeared for Ndamdi, opposed the request.
Chikwado-Eze argued that Okoye cannot arraign Nnamdi with the fresh charge, having not been served with the charge.
The lawyer, who opposed the oral application, said since the existing charge had not been served on them, Okoye cannot amend a non-existence charge.
Okoye disagreed with Chikwado-Eze on the ground that Nnamdi had never been arraigned before.
Justice Olotu then granted the application and Nnamdi, who was arraigned on one count, pleaded not guilty, and the prosecutor applied that he be remanded in prison pending the conclusion of the trail.
But Chikwado-Eze objected to the application on the ground that the offence, which he was charge with, was a bailable offence under the law.
He also argued that Nnamdi had been on administrative bail for over a month and had not flouted the bail.conditions.
The lawyer urged the court to grant him a bail.
The judge, who admitted Nnamdi to a N10 million bail with a surety, directed that the surety must deposed to an affidavit of means.
She adjourned the matter until May 17 for trail.
A correspondent reports that Nnamdi was arrested in Anambra and transported to Abuja by officers attached to the police cybercrime unit.
The police later said the matter was linked to a tweet by Nnamdi that allegedly cast Chief Offor, a billionaire businessman, in an odious light.
In the tweet, the defendant claimed that Offor had been engaged by the president-elect to beg Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, to accept the result of the Feb. 25 election.
The tweet read: “So @officialBAT called Emeka Offor to beg Peter Obi to accept the rigged result.
“If he is sure the people voted for APC and he won the election, why is he running around pleading with everyone to help beg Peter Obi to accept the result?”(NAN)
JUDICIARY
Court Remands Landlord for Alleged Defilement of Tenant’s Daughter
A family court sitting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Tuesday ordered the remand of one Musibau Lamidi, 50, for alleged defilement of his tenant’s six-year-old daughter.
The Magistrate, Mrs S. A . Adesina, ordered that the landlord should be kept at the Agodi custodial facility pending advice from Oyo State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Adesina did not take the landlord’s plea.
She adjourned the case until April 25 for mention.
Reports says that Musibau, a resident of Olode, Ibadan, was charged on one-count of defilement.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp Gbemisola Adedeji, told the court that the defendant, on March 13, between 8. 00 a.
m. and 4.00 p.m. defiled his tenant’s daughter.Adedeji said that Musibau had an issue with the child’s mother and asked her to pack out.
The prosecutor said that when the woman went to look for a house to rent, the defendant defiled her daughter.
She said that the offence contravened Section 34 of the Oyo State Child Right’s
Law of 2006. (NAN)
JUDICIARY
4 Friends Docked for Allegedly Threatening Cleric’s Life
Four friends were on Monday docked in a Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan for allegedly threatening the life of pastor Charles Gold.
The police charged Olatunji Musibau, 44;Abiodun Folarin, 50; Kazeem Oluremi, 60 and Yusuf Sodiq, 23, with conspiracy and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Philip Amusan, told the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on March 8, at about 2 p.
m., at New Bodija Area in Ibadan.Amusan alleged that the defendants and others at large, threatened violence against pastor Gold, of Echo Evangelical Ministry Ibadan.
He said the offence contravened the probisions of sections 516 and 383 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
The defendants however pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Court President, Mrs Moji Aworemi, admitted the defendants to bail in the sum of N150, 000 each and one surety each in like sum.
Aworemi held that the surety must be a blood relation to the defendants.
She adjourned the case until April 29, for mention. (NAN)
JUDICIARY
2 Teenagers in Court for Allegedly Stealing Sewing Machine
Two teenagers, Simor Aaron, 19, and Francis David, 18, were arraigned on Wednesday before a Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing a sewing machine and other items worth N325,000.
The defendants, both residents of High-Cost Narayi, Kaduna, are standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing, to which they pleaded not guilty.
The Prosecutor, Insp Chidi Leo, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on March 11, at Barnawa Kaduna.
According to Leo, the duo burgled a tailoring shop of one Gladys Peter and stole her sewing machine, six wrappers, and four clothing materials all valued at N325,000.
The prosecutor stated that the defendants were caught and handed over to the police by members of the vigilante group on patrol in the area.
Leo said that the offences contravened Sections 281 and 217 of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017, which stipulates a three-year jail term for stealing and two years imprisonment for conspiracy.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties each in like sum, who must be gainfully employed.
Emmanuel adjourned the case until April 22, for hearing. (NAN)