BREAKING: Nigerian High Court Strikes Out Two Cybercrime Charges Against Social Media Influencer, Ijele; Nullifies Stringent Bail Conditions
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the court also nullified the preliminary stringent bail circumstances that had kept Ijele in prison.
A Federal Excessive Court docket in Lagos has struck out two of the three counts of cybercrime costs brought against social media blogger,Mr. Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, popularly identified as Ijele.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the court also nullified the preliminary stringent bail circumstances that had kept Ijele in prison.
Factual luminary, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), had filed a preliminary objection energetic the validity of his trial for alleged cybercrime offences. The costs were brought against him by the police on behalf of Evangelist Ebuka Obi, the chief of the Zion Prayer Ministry Stir Outreach.
The court also ordered the correctional carrier to at once launch his medical records to his lawyers.
Ijele had challenged the jurisdiction of a Federal Excessive Court docket in Lagos to search out out its cybercrime and criminal defamation case.
Ijele, thru his workforce of lawyers led by Mr Femi Falana (SAN) in a Examine of Preliminary Objection dated June 28, 2024, urged the court to strike out the case.
The case modified into once filed by the Inspector Overall of Police because the Complainant/Respondent.
The Examine filed by his lawyers reads, “TAKE NOTICE that the Defendant/Applicant is energetic the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court docket on the following grounds: Rely 1 of the trace alleges conspiracy is illegitimate because the Defendant can’t conspire against himself.
“Rely 2 of the amended Charge is illegitimate and unconstitutional which skill that of: A) The Nationwide Assembly lacks the vires to abolish rules on phonographic. materials. B) It is essentially based totally on the Cybercrime Act 2015.
“Rely 3 alleges offences that fall throughout the jurisdiction of the train Excessive Court docket.”
The consciousness requested “whether or no longer this Honourable Court docket has jurisdiction to entertain this trace, as at note couched”.
In its arguments, Falana and Co. submitted that “this Honourable Court docket lacks the jurisdiction to entertain this amended trace.”
In June, Deji Adeyanju & Companions, thru idea to be one of their lawyers, Silas Onwugbonu, Esq., raised the concern over his deteriorating health condition.
The lawyers in a public protest dated June 24, 2024, lamented that the influencer’s health condition had worsened to the point of coughing up blood.
Within the final public protest, the regulation company states, “We desire to blueprint the respect of most other folks to the deteriorating health condition of our client, Mr. Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu (IJELE), who has been detained since March 19, 2024, at the instance of the Nigeria Police Power, on a purely civil dispute.
“About a days ago, our consideration modified into once drawn to the undeniable truth that our client, who is at note detained at the Nigeria Correctional Centre (NCC), Ikoyi, Lagos Issue, is gravely sick.
“As at the time of issuing this public protest, our client’s health condition has deteriorated to the point of coughing up blood, with out a medical amenities on hand to restore his health throughout the NCC, Ikoyi.
“This could presumably be recalled that in furtherance of its need to with out a sign of ending take care of our client in detention, the Nigeria Police Power has filed three pending identical costs FHC/ABJ/CR/159/2024; Inspector Overall Of Police V Chizorom Harris Ofoegbu: FHC/L/312C/2924; Inspector Overall Of Police V Chizorom Harris Ofoegbu and FHC/AWK/CR/2024: Inspector Overall Of Police V Chukwuka Chizorom Ofoegbu, against our client, at the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja, Lagos and Awka, all at the instance of the identical coalition of nominal complainants, and for the identical alleged civil dispute.”
The regulation company recalled that Ijele modified into once granted bail by a Federal Excessive Court docket in Lagos on June 14 but added that it modified into once pissed off by the police.
It talked about, “On June 14, 2024, the Federal Excessive Court docket, sitting in Lagos, granted our client bail, following the bright trusty intervention of our revered Learned Silks Femi Falana, SAN, and Funmi Falana, SAN.
“Nonetheless, in characterize to frustrate the bail granted to our client, officers of the Nigeria Police Power at once went to NSC Ikoyi, and attempted to forcefully switch him to Awka, Anambra train, on the foundation of an alleged criminal summons.
“It is on this characterize that we are constrained to train that the motion of the Nigeria Police Power against our client has moved beyond criminal prosecution to persecution. The Nigeria Police Power must chorus from making itself on hand as an interventionist in civil disputes between electorate.
“As our client’s health continue to deteriorate by the hour, we name on the Inspector Overall of Police to pronounce its officers to respect court orders and desist from further persecution of our client, who enjoys constitutional presumption of innocence. A needless defendant can’t stand trial,” it added.
SaharaReporters had reported that Ijele modified into once granted bail on June 14 in a ruling delivered by the trial settle, Justice Akintayo Aluko.
The court mandated Ijele to abolish N50 million bail bond with two sureties, at the side of that concept to be among the sureties must hold a landed property in Lagos while the civil carrier cadre of assorted one must never be lower than level 14.
SaharaReporters on Would possibly per chance presumably additionally 30 reported how the Nigeria Police Power filed an amended three-depend criminal trace against Ijele earlier than the court.
