A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to activist and social media commentator Justice Chidiebere, widely known as "Justice Crack," in the sum of N5 million. The ruling was delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who ordered that the bail bond be supported by one surety in a similar amount.
Bail Conditions
The court stipulated that the surety must reside within the court's jurisdiction at a fixed address for at least four years and provide proof of residence, such as a tenancy agreement or certificate of occupancy, to the court registry. Additionally, the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15, with evidence of at least three months' salary, a letter of authentication from the immediate head of department, and proof of pensionable employment.
Furthermore, the court directed the surety to depose to an affidavit of means and submit a recent passport photograph, while the defendant is required to deposit his international passport with the court.
Prosecution's Case
Earlier, the prosecuting counsel informed the court that the prosecution was prepared to commence trial. The first prosecution witness, Uruntu Douglas, a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, testified that he became acquainted with the defendant during investigations after the suspect was transferred to the DSS by the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps. The witness stated that the defendant voluntarily made an extra-judicial statement in the presence of his lawyers.
According to the witness, soldiers had sent pictures to the defendant, who allegedly produced videos from the images and posted them on social media without verifying the authenticity of the materials with military authorities. Investigators extracted data from the defendant's phone, including videos allegedly posted online, conversations between the defendant and some soldiers, chats with his godfather discussing protests, and excerpts from his social media pages. A certificate of compliance was issued and signed by a superior officer after the forensic process.
Defence Objections
Defence counsel Sam Amadi informed the court that the defence had not been served with the investigation report and other documents the prosecution sought to tender. The prosecution described the omission as an oversight and apologized. Justice Abdulmalik admitted the DSS investigation report as Exhibit A.
The prosecution also tendered an iPhone allegedly recovered from the defendant, a flash drive containing videos posted on social media, conversations extracted from the device, and the certificate of compliance. The defence objected to the admissibility of the flash drive, arguing that its contents had not been described or played in open court. Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until May 25 for continuation of trial, while the first prosecution witness had not yet been discharged.
