Court slams N1m bail on former Sokoto governor’s aide over defamation charges

Shafi’u Umar, an aide to the former governor and lawmaker, Aminu Tambuwal has been slammed with an N1 million bail by the Sokoto Chief Magistrate over charges of defamation.

The court on Wednesday said that Imar, 37, should make the bond available to it considering his trial for allegedly spreading false information against Governor Ahmad Aliyu and his wife on social media.

At the hearing, the prosecutor, Inspector Abdurahman Mansur told the court that the offence allegedly committed by Umar contravenes provisions of the Penal Code law.

He said that on July 18, the defendant circulated a video of the governor’s wife, Fatima Aliyu, “spraying” money during her birthday ceremony.

According to Mansur, the defendant’s post suggested that despite the hardship and hunger in the country the governor’s wife was spending money lavishly.

He also asses that Umar shared a document on the same social media stating that the governor failed his Senior Secondary School Examination, scored F9 and is incapable of speaking the English language.

Despite pleading not guilty to the charges levelled against him, Umar was remanded in the correctional facility by the court.

In her ruling, the magistrate, Fatima Hassan, ordered that the defendant be remanded until the bail bond was made available with a surety in like sum. The surety, the court said must be a resident of Sokoto and must deposit his National Identity Card along with two copies of passport photographs in the court.

The matter was adjourned until October 10, for investigation by the prosecution.