‘Cyberstalking’: Court grants Chude Nnamdi, social media influencer, N10m bail

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to Chude Nnamdi, a social media influencer.

Chude was arraigned on Thursday before Gladys Olotu, the trial judge, on a one-count charge of cyberstalking.

However, the social media influencer pleaded not guilty to the charge.

According to NAN, Usman Baba Alkali, the inspector-general of police, was the prosecutor in the case.

In the charge sheet, the police alleged that Nnamdi, on March 13, “did knowingly and intentionally” send a message via a tweet from his Twitter handle for the “purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, and danger”.

“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.”

During the court proceedings, Victor Okoye, the prosecuting counsel, made an oral application to substitute the initial charge filed in March with a new charge.

But Gabriel Chikwado-Eze, the defendant’s counsel, rejected the request, saying Nnamdi had never been arraigned before the court.

The trial judge granted the application and the defendant was arraigned.

The prosecutor asked the court to remand the defendant to prison pending the conclusion of the trial.

The defendant’s counsel argued that the offence contained in the charge sheet is bailable under the law, adding that Nnamdi did not jump the administrative bail granted to him by the police.

The judge admitted Nnamdi to N10 million bail with a surety that must depose to an affidavit of means.

The case was adjourned till May 17 for the continuation of trial.

BACKGROUND 

On March 18, Nnamdi was arrested by the police in Anambra state and taken to Abuja, the country’s capital.

His arrest elicited criticism on social media with some Twitter users claiming that he was apprehended over an alleged petition written by Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra.

However, Soludo denied any involvement in the matter, saying the state government gave no such directive.

Days after his arrest, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) confirmed that Nnamdi was arrested for alleged cyberstalking. He was released six days after his arrest.

In a now-deleted video posted on his Twitter page shortly after his release, the social media influencer apologised to Emeka Offor, the chairperson of Chrome Group, an oil and gas firm.

“I want to apologise to Sir Emeka Offor over the tweet I made. As at the time I made the tweet, it was unverified. It was not to malign him in any way,” Nnamdi had said.

Nnamdi had alleged that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, asked Offor to beg Obi to accept the results of the February 25 presidential election.

On Wednesday, Nnamdi was said to have been detained at the police headquarters in Abuja after he reported to the station.