…Fixes Aug 20 to decide propriety of arraignment

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that the former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Shendam branch, Plateau State, Barrister

 

Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen be remanded in the Custody of the Department of the State Service (DSS) in Abuja.

 

 

The lawyer who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau state is to remain in DSS custody till August 20 when the propriety or otherwise of his new trial on Cyberstalking and incitement of public disturbances would be decided.

 

 

Justice Abdulmalik issued the remand order on Friday when DSS applied for the arraignment of the lawyer on two count charges of alleged cyberstalking and incitement.

 

 

Shortly after the lawyer was ordered into the dock for his plea to be taken, his lead counsel and Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Emmanuel Esene raised objections against the arraignment.

 

 

Esene SAN told Justice Abdulmalik that his client had already been arraigned at the same Federal High Court in Abuja on the same allegations and that his trial has been fixed for September 28.

 

 

He expressed shock with the new arraignment bid and pleaded with the judge not to allow it so as to avoid double jeopardy for the lawyer.

 

 

The prosecuting Muinat Oladunjoye from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice denied knowledge of any other similar charges against the lawyer.

 

 

The situation prompted Justice Abdulmalik to demand for a copy of the earlier charge for the purpose of record which was promptly tendered by Esene SAN.

 

 

Justice Abdulmalik also demanded for records of proceedings in respect of the earlier charge but which could not be produced by the defense on the ground that the new charge came by surprise to them on August 13.

 

 

However, to fully ascertain the earlier arraignment on the same charge, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that records of proceedings on the earlier trial be produced before the court on August 20.

 

 

Pending the production of the record of proceedings, the Judge ordered that the accused lawyer be on remand at the DSS detention facility.

 

 

The two new count charges against the lawyer are;

 

 

COUNT ONE; “That you, Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen, adult, male, of Ngotuguut, Shendam, Plateau, sometime in May 2026, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did send a malicious publication via Ngootuguut local community whatsapp platform alleging that the entire Ngootuguut community was involved in a plot to eliminate you, which you know the content of the said publication to be false but send it out for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will and needless anxiety in the Ngootuguut community and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) of Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, etc) Act, 2015, as amended.

 

 

COUNT TWO “That you, Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen, adult, male, of Ngotuguut, Shendam, Plateau, sometime in May 2026, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did send a malicious publication via Ngootuguut local community whatsapp platform alleging that the entire Ngootuguut community was involved in a plot to eliminate you, which you know the content of the said publication to be false with intent to incite or cause breach to public peace and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 114 of the Penal Code Act, 2004.

 

It was filed by Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo, Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation.