False Alarm: Lady Sentenced To 12 Months Psychiatric Care Over Fake Kidnap Tweet

AN ABUJA Magistrate Court on Wednesday granted Amira Sufyanu bail and ordered her to undergo psychiatric treatment for 12 months.

Amira, known as Ameerah on Twitter, pleaded guilty when she was arraigned by the police for raising a false kidnap alarm.

She was accused of misleading the police under Section 140 of the penal code.

Police prosecutor James Idachaba provided a medical report indicating that Amira was mentally ill when she gave the false information.

Idachaba prayed the court to give the defendant a non-custodial sentence under Section 44 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

He also prayed that she should be placed under the supervision of the police counselling unit for a regular review of her mental state.

Amira’s counsel, Chinyere Moneme, did not oppose the prosecution’s submissions.

In his ruling, Chukwuemeka Nweke, the presiding magistrate, ordered that the defendant should be released conditionally to a probation officer.

Bail conditions include being on probation for 12 months and refraining from social media.

She has also been mandated to report to her probation officer.

She is also to undergo psychiatric care for the next 12 months.

In a tweet on June 14, Amira claimed that gunmen disguised as police officers abducted her alongside 16 other victims in different parts of Abuja.

She wrote on her Twitter handle, @ameerah_sufyan, “Please, whoever has my WhatsApp number, I sent a broadcast message of my location. We were abducted at gunpoint by people with police uniforms and a van from our houses from different parts of Abuja. We’re 17, including three pregnant women and two little kids. They didn’t see my phone.”

But on Monday, June 20, she took to social media to apologise to Nigerians for raising a false alarm.

This was after the FCT Police Command debunked her claim while announcing that she had been found.