Court Slams Stringent Bail Conditions on Lawyer Accused of Cyberbullying Senator Shehu Buba
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Abuja lawyer Ahmed Abdulrahman, who is being prosecuted for allegedly cyberbullying a serving senator, but imposed stringent conditions, including requiring him to deposit the original titles of his sureties’ landed property with the court.
Delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Rita Offili Ajumogobia granted the lawyer bail in the sum of ₦5 million and two sureties in like sum. The judge ordered that Abdulrahman must be kept in custody until he is able to perfect the bail conditions.
Conditions Mandate Landed Property and Passports.
The bail conditions require that the two sureties must have landed property in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Crucially, the original copies of the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) must be deposited with the Registrar of the court.
Additionally, both sureties must deposit their International Passports with the Registrar of the court throughout the duration of the trial.
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Charges Include Defamation and Extortion
Ahmed Abdulrahman, 41, and four others—Daure David (35), Ishaq Muhammed (25), Abdulrashid Musa (30), and Nasir Abubakar (21)—are being prosecuted by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on an 11-count charge. The charge includes cybercrime, defamation, advance fee fraud, and extortion.
The suspects are accused of using social media platforms to spread fake news to incite hatred against their victims, including Senator Shehu Umar Buba, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence
Defamation: Abdulrahman is alleged to have intentionally sent a video via his TikTok handle (“Kibanna Channel”) and YouTube channel to defame Senator Buba by linking him to the sponsorship of banditry. This action, which aimed to cause a breakdown of law and order and cause the Senator fear of death, is contrary to the Cybercrimes Act.
Extortion: Another defendant, Daure David, is accused of attempting to extort ₦5 million from the Senator under the false pretense of settling people planning a protest against him.
The matter has been adjourned to December 9 for further mention.
By PRNigeria
