Court remands Ebonyi PDP spokesperson over Facebook report

 

The Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ebonyi state chapter, Nwoba Chika Nwoba was on Thursday arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital for allegedly publishing materials on his Facebook account  against the member representing Ikwo/Ezza South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Ogah.

Thursday arraignment made it the second time he was being arraigned in two days and remanded.

Nwoba was arraigned on Wednesday and remanded for  publishing materials on his Facebook account against Governor Dave Umahi, which the police said was punishable under section 516 A (a) of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Vol. 1 Laws of the state, 2009 and Section 5 (1) (a) of the state Cybercrimes (Prohibition) Law No.012 of 2021.

Again on Thursday he was arraigned on a six-count charge bothering on false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public.

The charges said the PDP publicity secretary portrayed Hon. Chinedu Ogah as greedy, corrupt, a terrorist, land grabber, deceiver, timid and non-achiever which is causing annoyance, inconvenience and insult to the federal lawmaker.

After the offences were read before the defendant, his counsel, Luke Nkwegu urged the court to strike out the charges against Nwoba.

He averred that the charges were brought against Nwoba by the police in bad faith to keep him behind bars.

 Nkwegu argued that the Cybercrimes Prohibition Law of the state upon which Nwoba was being tried, was not gazetted and that ungazetted law was not a law and prayed the court to grant the defendant bail.

Police Prosecutor, ASP Mathias Eze however opposed Nkwegu and urged the court to remand Nwoba.

In her ruling, the trial Magistrate, Blessing Chukwu said the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter and ordered that the accused be remanded in police custody in line with COVID-19 protocol.

She ordered that the case file be transmitted to the state Attorney General, Department of Police Prosecution and adjourned the matter to February 4.