Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos State has ordered the remand of four bloggers for allegedly cyberstalking and disseminating false information aimed at insulting the Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company PLC (GTCO), Segun Agbaje. The accused bloggers, Precious Eze (38), Olawale Rotimi (47), Rowland Olonishu, and Seun Odunlami, were remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre on Friday.
The bloggers were arraigned on two counts of cyberstalking and spreading false publications. According to the charges filed by the Police Special Fraud Unit, the defendants allegedly used social media in August 2024 to send out false claims, including accusations of Agbaje’s involvement in a N1 trillion scam and nepotism in GTCO.
The prosecution, led by Emmanuel Jackson, accused the defendants of violating sections of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024. After their pleas of not guilty, Jackson urged the court to set a trial date, while opposing bail requests from the defence counsel.
Justice Faji adjourned the case to October 4, 2024, for trial and instructed the defence to file formal bail applications for the accused. The case continues to draw public attention due to its implications for media freedom and responsible journalism in Nigeria.
