Alleged defamation: Court admits ex-governor’s aide to N1m bail

By Habibu Harisu

A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday admitted the Special Assistant to former Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, Shafi’u Umar, to N1 million bail.

Umar, 37, is charged with alleged circulating of falsehood against Gov. Ahmad Aliyu and his wife on social media.

He was also charged with engraving matter known to be defamatory.

The case was first mentioned on Aug. 26, and the Police Prosecutor, Insp Abdurahman Mansur, said the offence contravened the penal code law.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the defendant committed the offence on July 18.

The Prosecution said the defendant circulated a video of the governor’s wife, Hajia Fatima Aliyu, “ spraying” money during her birthday ceremony despite the present hardships faced by citizens.

Umar was also allegedly accused of sharing a document that indicated that Gov. Aliyu failed his Senior Secondary School Examination, scored F9 and is incapable of speaking English.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in Correctional Center custody.

Ruling in the bail application filed by the lead Defence Counsel, Mr Al’Mustafa Abubakar, the trial judge, Magistrate Fatima Hassan, granted Umar bail in the sum of N1 million with a surety in like sum.

Hassan ordered that the surety should be a resident of Sokoto and should deposit his National Identity Card along with two copies of passport photographs in the court.

She adjourned the case to Oct. 10, for further mention and Prosecution to complete their investigation as assured by Police Prosecutor Mansur.

She ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility if he failed to complete the bail conditions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that before the adjournment, the Defense Counsel urged the Judge to take cognisance of three adjournments in the trial on the instance of police investigation and direct them to complete their findings as law required.