The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has taken over the prosecution of a lawyer, Ahmed Abdulrahman (41 years), and four others accused of cyberbullying a serving Senator, Umar Shehu Buba, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The others, who claimed to be social media influencers, are Daure David (35 years), Ishaq Muhammed (25 years), Abdulrashid Musa (30 years), and Nasir Abubakar (21 years).
They were arraigned on October 30 before a Federal High Court in Abuja on an 11-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, filed in the name of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
On Thursday, a lawyer from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF), Nueebu Abueh, told the court that he was instructed to assume the prosecution of the case henceforth.
Abueh said the AGF has taken over the case and retrieved the case file from the police.
In three separate rulings, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N1 million with one surety each in like sum.
The judge said the surety must be a Grade Level 12 officer in the employment of the Federal Government or, alternatively, a person of repute who must have landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia said the property must have a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), the original copy of which must be deposited with the Registrar of the court.
Besides, the surety must swear to an affidavit of means and deposit two passport photographs each before the defendants can be released on bail.
The judge said the bail would be revoked should the defendants fail to meet the attached conditions.
She ordered that the defendants remain in custody pending when they meet the bail conditions.
The judge adjourned the case until January 26, 2026, for trial.
In count one, the defendants are alleged to have, sometime in 2025, conspired among themselves “to commit an offence, to wit: cyberstalking against Senator Shehu Buba Umar.”
The prosecution said the offence is contrary to Section 27(1)(b) and punishable under Section 21(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024.
In count three, Abdulrahman, the 1st defendant, was alleged to have, sometime in 2025, intentionally sent a video via his TikTok handle, “Kibanna Channel,” and his YouTube channel to defame the lawmaker by linking him to the sponsorship of banditry with a view to tarnishing his image as a serving Senator.
He was alleged to have stated that “Senator Umar, a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sponsor of banditry,” and called for his investigation—statements made via computer systems and networks, knowing them to be false and intended to cause breakdown of law and order and instill fear of death in the Senator.
The offence, according to the prosecution, is contrary to Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) 2024, among other counts.
Daure David is, in one of the counts, accused of attempting to collect N5 million from Senator Buba under the false pretense that the money would be used to settle those planning a protest against him.