CRIMINAL PROSECUTION 21/04/2023
Court Admits Obi’s Supporter to N10m Bail Over Alleged Cyberstalking
A Federal High Court on Thursday admitted Chude Nnamdi, an ardent supporter of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, 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.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports 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.”
The judge, who admitted Nnamdi to N10 million bail with a surety, directed that the surety must be deposed to an affidavit of means.
She adjourned the matter until May 17 for trial.
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 the social media influencer 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?”