Court remands lawyer, others for cyberbullying Bauchi senator

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the remand of a legal practitioner, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and four others at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Area 10, Abuja, until November 10.

Justice Rita Offili-Ajumogobia gave the order after the suspects were arraigned for allegedly cyberbullying a serving senator, Senator Shehu  Umar.

The defendants, who are being prosecuted by the Inspector General of Police, are accused of blackmailing the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

The defendants are: Daure David, Ishaq Muhammed, Abdulrashid  Musa, and Nasiru Abubakar.

They were arraigned by the police on eleven counts bordering on cyberbullying, advance fee fraud, and extortion.

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 in 2024).

In another count, Daure David was accused of attempting to collect N5m from Senator Umar under the false pretence that the money would be used to settle those planning to protest against him.

However, when the charges were read to the defendants, they pleaded not guilty.

Upon the plea of not guilty, counsel for the prosecution, Victor Okoye, asked the court to fix a date for trial and to remand the defendants at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

However, counsel or the lawyer, Affis Matanmi, moved an application for bail on behalf of his client.

He told the court that his client “is a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court and will not interfere with police investigations or witnesses if admitted to bail.”

He added that “the police, on their own, granted the first defendant administrative bail, which he did not violate because, as a lawyer, he understands the consequences of jumping bail.”

The bail application was, however, opposed by prosecution counsel, Victor Okoye, who informed the court that shortly after the lawyer was granted bail, he engaged in two further acts of cyberbullying and featured prominently in five of the eleven counts.

Okoye argued that although the first defendant is a confirmed legal practitioner, he does not deserve any preferential or special treatment, as there is no provision in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act or the 1999 Constitution that accords special treatment to any legal practitioner involved in criminal conduct.

After hearing arguments for and against the bail application, Justice Offili-Ajumogobia ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Force CID until November 10, to enable counsel for the first defendant to file a further affidavit and a reply on points of law to the weighty allegations contained in the prosecution’s counter-affidavit.

The judge subsequently adjourned the matter till November for further hearing.