Justice Rita Offili Ajumogobia has ordered the remand of a lawyer, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and four others at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Area 10, Abuja, till November 10, following their arraignment on alleged cyber bullying of a serving lawmaker, Senator Shehu Buba Umar, representing Bauchi South senatorial district in the Senate.
The lawyer was on Thursday put on trial by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) along with four others namely, Daure David, Ishaq Abubakar Muhammed, Abdulrashid Abdullahi Musa and Nasiru Usman Abubakar, for allegedly blackmailing the chairman of Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
They were arraigned by the IGP on 11-count charge bordering on cyberbullying, advance fee fraud and extortion.
However, when the charges were read before Justice Ajumogobia, the lawyer and the other four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Upon their pleas of not guilty plea, Counsel to the prosecution, Victor Okoye, asked for a date for trial and that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja.
Counsel to the lawyer, Affis Matanmi, however, moved a bail application on behalf of his client, whom he said, is a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court and will not interfere with police investigation and witnesses if admitted to bail.
He reminded the court that police, on their own, granted the first defendant administrative bail, which he did not jump because, as a lawyer, he knows the consequences of jumping bail.
However, the bail request was vehemently opposed by the counsel to prosecution, Victor Okoye, who informed the court that shortly after the lawyer was admitted to bail, he engaged in two other cyber bullying and that, he featured prominently in five of the 11-count charges.
Okoye argued that, although, the first defendant is a confirmed legal practitioner, he did not deserve any preferential or special treatment because there is no provision in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the 1999 Constitution that confers any special treatment on any legal practitioner involved in criminality.
After taking arguments for and against the bail application, Justice Ajumogobia ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Force CID till November 10 for the lawyer to the first defendant to file further affidavit and reply on point of law to the weighty allegations contained in the counter-affidavit of the prosecution.
The Judge subsequently adjourned the matter till November 10.
In count one, the defendants were alleged to have, sometime in 2025, conspired among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit; cyberstalking against Senator Shehu Buba Umar.”
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 27(1)(b) and punishable under Section 21(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024.
In count three, Barr. Abdulrahman, the 1st defendant, was alleged to have sometime in 2025, intentionally sent a video via his Tiktok handle with user name “Kibanna Channel” and his Youtube channel to defame the Bauchi lawmaker by linking him to sponsorship of banditry with a view to tarnishing his image as a serving Senator.
The suspect was alleged to have stated that “Senator Umar, a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sponsor of banditry and called for his investigation, a statement you made by means of computer systems and network knowing same to be false, for the purpose of causing breakdown of law and order and causing the Senator fear of death.”
The offence is also said to be contrary to Section 24(1)(5) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024, among other counts.
In one of the counts, Daure David was accused of attempting to collect N5 million from Senator Umar under false pretence that the money will be used to settle those planning to protest against him.
