No fewer than four bloggers have been remanded by the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for allegedly blackmailing the Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) and its Group Chief Executive Officer, Segun Agbaje.
The four bloggers – Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa, and Seun Odunlami – were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji by the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
They are facing a 10-count amended charge for allegedly publishing false information about GTCO and Agbaje through various social media platforms.
Delivering his ruling on Thursday, November 14, 2024, Justice Faji denied the bloggers bail and ordered an accelerated trial of the defendants.
Justice Faji dismissed the bail applications, citing the serious nature of the alleged offences, which include charges that could lead to up to 14 years in prison.
The judge also held that Eze has shown the tendency to commit the offence again if let out as he is currently charged with a similar offence in another court and was only out on bail when he went ahead to commit the alleged offence for which he is now standing trial.
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Justice Faji also highlighted the potentially destabilising impact such actions could have on the banking sector, particularly since some of the charges involved cross-border activities on the internet.
The defence counsel, Afolabi Adeniyi, at the last hearing of the matter while moving an application for the bail for the accused persons argued that the defendants should be granted bail on liberal terms, emphasising that the charges were bailable and that the accused were willing to face trial.
Opposing the application, the prosecution counsel, Chief Aribisala (SAN), urged the court to reject the bail request, highlighting the risk of the defendants absconding and stressing the need for an expedited trial.
In his ruling, Justice Faji not only denied bail but also ordered an accelerated trial of the bloggers.
He also noted that the defendants’ actions challenged the authority of regulatory bodies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which had approved GTCO’s audited statements.
The judge, therefore, adjourned the matter to December 10 and 12, 2024, for the continuation of the trial.
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