The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday ordered the detention of a lawyer, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and four others arraigned for cyberbullying a serving Senator, Shehu Umar.
Justice Rita Offili Ajumogobia directed that the defendants be kept at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Area 10, Abuja, until November 10, pending the determination of their bail application.
Other defendants in the charge brought before the court by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) are Daure David, Ishaq Abubakar Muhammed, Abdulrashid Abdullahi Musa, and Nasiru Usman Abubakar.
They were accused of blackmailing the Senate Committee Chairman on National Security and Intelligence.
The 11-count charge against them involved cyberbullying, advance fee fraud, and extortion.
Meanwhile, all the defendants pleaded not guilty when the charge was read in open court.
Following their plea, the defence lawyer, Mr. Affis Matanmi, urged the court to grant them bail.
He drew the trial judge’s attention to the fact that the first defendant is a legal practitioner and solicitor of the Supreme Court.
Stressing that the charges included bailable offences, the defence counsel maintained that his clients would not interfere with the trial or influence proposed witnesses.
He also noted that the police had previously granted administrative bail to the first defendant, adding that, as a lawyer, he was aware of the consequences of jumping bail.
However, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Victor Okoye, opposed the bail application.
He told the court that shortly after the lawyer was admitted to bail, he allegedly engaged in two other cyberbullying cases and also featured prominently in five of the 11 counts of the charge.
Okoye argued that although the first defendant is a confirmed legal practitioner, he does not deserve any preferential treatment, as no provision in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, or the 1999 Constitution, as amended, confers such privilege on any lawyer involved in criminality.
After hearing both sides, Justice Ajumogobia ordered that the defendants be remanded, while directing the defence counsel to file a further affidavit and reply on points of law regarding the allegations contained in the prosecution’s counter-affidavit.
In count one of the charge, 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, the first defendant, Abdulrahman, was alleged to have, sometime in 2025, intentionally sent a video via his TikTok handle, “Kibanna Channel,” and his YouTube channel to defame the lawmaker by linking him to the sponsorship of banditry, with a view to tarnishing his image as a serving Senator.
The suspect was alleged to have stated: “Senator Umar, a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sponsor of banditry,” and called for his investigation—a statement made by means of computer systems and networks, knowing it to be false, with the intent of causing a breakdown of law and order and instilling fear of death in the Senator.
The offence was said to be contrary to Section 24(1)(5) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024, among other counts.
Additionally, in one of the counts, another defendant, David, was accused of attempting to collect N5 million from Senator Umar under the false pretense that the money would be used to settle people planning to protest against the lawmaker.
