Justice Rita Offili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the remand of a legal practitioner, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and four others at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Area 10, Abuja, until November 10, 2025.
The order followed their arraignment on Thursday by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on charges bordering on cyber bullying, advance fee fraud, and extortion against Senator Shehu Baba Umar, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The other defendants are Daure David, Ishaq Abubakar Muhammed, Abdulrashid Abdullahi Musa, and Nasiru Usman Abubakar. They were docked on an eleven-count charge alleging that they used online platforms to blackmail and intimidate the senator.
All five defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in court.
Prosecution counsel, Victor Okoye, urged the court to set a date for trial and to remand the defendants in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing. However, counsel to the first defendant, Affis Matanmi, sought bail for his client, arguing that Abdulrahman, being a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, would not abscond or interfere with investigations if granted bail.
Matanmi reminded the court that the police had previously granted Abdulrahman administrative bail, which he honoured, stressing that his client understood the consequences of jumping bail.
In response, Okoye opposed the bail application, claiming that the lawyer had engaged in additional acts of cyber bullying after being initially released, and that he played a central role in five of the eleven counts filed.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Offili-Ajumogobia ordered that the defendants remain in custody at the FCID until November 10. She directed the defence to file a further affidavit and a reply on points of law addressing the prosecution’s counter-affidavit.
The case was adjourned until November 10 for further hearing.