Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, May 18, granted bail to social critic Justice Chidebere, widely known as Justice Crack, in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum. He is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged cybercrime offenses related to a viral video concerning the feeding of the Nigerian Army.
Bail Application Hearing
The hearing of the bail application had been stalled last Thursday due to disputes between two lawyers who claimed they had been contracted to represent Crack and the Insecurity Solutions Forum. However, on Monday, Justice Abdulmalik granted bail after the Federal Government opened its case against the blogger by calling its first witness, Uruntu Douglas, a DSS operative.
The witness testified that he took the extrajudicial statement of the defendant when he was transferred to DSS custody by the Nigerian Army Intelligence Defence Corps. He stated that Crack gave his statement voluntarily, and data was extracted from his phone, including pictures he received from some soldiers who decried their welfare. These pictures were subsequently posted on Crack's Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok accounts.
Exhibits and Objections
The pages of these accounts were tendered and admitted as exhibits. However, the defendant's counsel objected to the tendering of a flash drive and the defendant's phone, arguing that they had not been furnished with the contents of these devices.
Background of the Case
The DSS, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/253/2026, sued Crack as the sole defendant over alleged cybercrime offenses linked to a viral video concerning the Nigerian Army. Crack was alleged to have circulated false information and published materials capable of causing public unrest.
The defendant was arrested by the Nigerian Army and accused of publishing the viral video and accompanying statements through his X handle, @JusticeCrack, alleging inadequate feeding of Nigerian soldiers. A lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice had informed the court last Thursday that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had taken over the matter from the DSS in line with the relevant section of the law.
