Police re-arraign four bloggers on fresh charges for alleged cyberstalking

The Police have re-arraigned four bloggers on fresh charges at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for allegedly cyberstalking and publishing false allegations through various social media outlets against Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO).

The defendants are Precious Eze, Olawale Rotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa and Seun Odunlami. They are facing 10 count charges bordering on conspiracy, cyberstalking, false and misleading publication, extortion, threat, and loss of shares and market value preferred against them by the police.

The defendants were initially arraigned on September 27, 2024, before the court on two counts of cyberstalking and false publications and spreading false information aimed at insulting the Chief Executive Officer of GTCO, Segun Agbaje.

After they took their pleas, Justice Ayokunle Faji ordered that they be remanded at the correctional centre. However, when the case came up, yesterday, the prosecution counsel, Ajibola Aribisala (SAN), told the court that the charges against the defendants had been amended to 10 counts.

He told the court that he got a fiat from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to prosecute the case. Justice Faji, however, struck out the initial charges against them. Aribisala then urged the court to allow the fresh charges to be read to the defendants.

The defence counsel, Olakunle Afolabi, who objected to the new amended charges, said that he needed time to go through them. He also gave a condition that if the defendants were arraigned on fresh charges, he would apply for their bail orally, but the judge said he would not allow oral bail application. Afolabi consequently withdrew the objection, and the charge was read to the defendants.

The judge directed the prosecution to file the proof of evidence by the next adjourned date. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Justice Faji, who ordered that the defendants be remanded at the correctional centre pending the filing and hearing of their bail applications. He adjourned the case to October 24, 2024, for the defence to file the bail application and serve the prosecution.