The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of journalist Stanley Ugagbe at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application. The court issued the order on Tuesday after the presiding judge noted that the bail application was not yet ripe for hearing.
Bail application delayed
Mr Ugagbe's lawyer, Adekunle Olanipekun, made a frantic push for the judge to hear the bail application filed earlier on Tuesday. However, the prosecution, representing the police, informed the court that it needed time to respond to the bail application and would not be available for the bail hearing any time next week.
The trial judge adjourned the matter until 21 September, as the court's vacation begins on 27 July. If the judge is unable to hear Mr Ugagbe's bail application before the court's vacation begins later this month, the defence team can bring it before a designated vacation judge, who is entitled to give an independent decision on it.
Background of the case
On 3 July, Premium Times reported that Mr Ugagbe, a journalist with the online news platform Secrets Reporters, was abducted from his residence in the Jikwoyi area of Abuja. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) linked the disappearance to a recent investigation published by his organisation. On 6 July, the Nigeria Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) announced that he had been released from police custody following the Institute's intervention.
Charges filed
The police charged Mr Ugagbe on six counts of conspiracy and cyberstalking. He was charged alongside the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Secret Reporters, Tega Oghenedoro, alias Fejiro Oliver, who is said to be at large. The duo are accused of publishing false reports about the Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor Emem Usoro.
One of the publications is titled, 'CBN Deputy Governor Emem Nana Usoro Hides N1.4 Billion California Luxury Condo in Asset Declaration Scandal.' Another is titled, 'CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Linked to N3.6bn Los Angeles Property Amid Questions Over Asset Declaration Compliance.' The third article is titled, 'Adulterous Woman: How CBN Deputy Governor Emem Usoro Turned Side Chic, Paraded Herself as Man's Wife, Destroyed Couple's Union.'
The police alleged in the charges that the publications defamed Ms Usoro. On 6 July, the police issued a formal letter of invitation to Mr Oghenedoro. In the letter, the police claimed they were investigating a case of 'Espionage, Cyberstalking and Computer-related offences.'
