The remand of a group of four persons was on Friday ordered by a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, presided over by Justice Ayokunle Faji.
The defendants were ordered remanded in prison custody after they pleaded not guilty to alleged cyberstalking and spreading of false information intended at unleashing insults on the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Guaranty Trust Holding Plc, Segun Agbaje.
The remanded group of individuals is 38-year-old Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishu and Seun Odunlami, who were directed to remain at the Ikoyi facility of the Nigerian Correctional Service Centre after they were arraigned on two counts charge bordering on Cyberstalking and spreading of false information by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Milverton, Ikoyi, Lagos.
In its amended charge dated September 26, 2024, the PSFU had among others, alleged that the defendants, sometime in August 2024 in Lagos conspired among themselves to commit a felony to wit: cyberstalking and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015 as amended in 2024.
They were equally alleged to have knowingly sent false messages or publications in social media, through a computer or network to the public thus: “EFCC, FRIS storms GTBank over Segun Agbaje's N1 trillion scam” and “Whistleblowers expose Segun Agbaje Nepotism, power play, enrich himself and sister, Kofo Dosekunni” among other publications, to insult the GCEO of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Agbaje, or to cause criminal intimidation, annoyance, I'll-will, needless anxiety, injury, or hatred to him and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition/prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
At the entertainment of the case, counsel for the PSFU, Emmanuel Jackson, informed Justice Faji that the prosecution has a two-count amended charge and urged the court to allow the charge to be read so that the defendants can take their plea.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting the prosecutor to pray to Justice Faji to remand the defendants at the correctional centre pending trial and to also give a trial date.
But counsel for the defendants, O. A Afolabi, hinted to the court that while he would not be objecting to a trial date as submitted by the prosecution, he has a motion for bail on behalf of two of the defendants and was ready to move the same.
Jackson, who objected to the viability of the defendants' submission to move the bail application for two out of the four defendants in a joint trial, also opposed the defendants’ counsel moving an oral application on behalf of the defendants.
Justice Faji granted the objections of the PSFU’s counsel and urged the defence to file a proper bail application that would be responded to by the prosecution if they so wished.
The judge adjourned until October 4, 2024, for trial.
The charge against the defendants read:
“That you, Precious Eze ‘m’, Olawale Rotimi ‘m’, Rowland Olonishuwa, Seun Odunlami and others now a large, sometime in August 2024 in Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, did conspire among yourselves to commit a felony to wit: Cyberstalking and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 as amended in 2024.
“That you, Precious Eze ‘m’, Olawale Rotimi ‘m’, Rowland Olonishuwa, Seun Odunlami and others now a large, sometime in August 2024 in Lagos State, within the jurisdiction of the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, knowingly sent false messages or publications in the social media, through a computer system or network to the public as follows: “EFCC, FIRS Storm GTbank Over Segun Agbaje’s Trillion Scam” and “Whistleblowers Expose Segun Agbaje Nepotism Power Play, Enrich Him And Sister, Kofo Dosekunmi”, among other publications, to insult the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr Segun Agbaje or to cause Criminal intimidation, annoyance, ill-will, needless anxiety, injury, or hatred to him, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition/Prevention, etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.”
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