The Chief Magistrate Court in Sokoto State granted bail on Wednesday to Shafi’u Umar, a blogger accused of spreading false information about Governor Ahmed Aliyu and his wife on social media.
Umar, 37, faced charges of circulating injurious falsehood and disseminating defamatory material, in violation of the penal code. The case was first mentioned on August 26, and the charges stemmed from allegations that Umar committed the offences on July 18.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) read by Police Prosecutor Inspector Abdurahman Mansur, Umar circulated a video of the governor’s wife, Hajiya Fatima Aliyu, “spraying” money during her birthday celebration, despite the economic hardships faced by citizens.
He was also accused of sharing a document alleging that Governor Aliyu failed his Senior Secondary School Examination – scored F9 – and is incapable of speaking English.
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Umar pleaded not guilty to the charges and was initially remanded in a correctional facility. However, following a bail application filed by his lead defense counsel, Mr Al’Mustafa Abubakar, Magistrate Fatima Hassan granted bail in the amount of N1 million, requiring a surety of equal value.
Magistrate Fatima stipulated that the surety must be a resident of Sokoto and must deposit their National Identity Card along with two passport photographs with the court.
The case has been adjourned to October 10, 2024, to allow the prosecution time to complete its investigation, as assured by Prosecutor Mansur.
In the meantime, Umar will remain in custody due to the failure to meet the bail conditions.
