On Friday, a Sokoto Chief Magistrate Court remanded Shafi’u Umar in a corrections centre for allegedly circulating falsehoods against Gov. Ahmad Aliyu and his wife on social media platforms.
Umar, 37, who was the Special Assistant to former Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, is charged with circulating injurious falsehoods and engraving matters known to be defamatory.
The case was first mentioned on Aug. 26, and the Police Prosecutor, Insp Abdurahman Mansur, said the offence contravened the penal code law. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the defendant committed the offence on July 18.
The Prosecution said the defendant circulated a video of the governor’s wife, Hajia Fatima Aliyu, “ spraying” money during her birthday ceremony despite the hardships facing the state’s citizens.
Also, Umar was allegedly accused of sharing a document indicating that Gov. Aliyu failed his Senior Secondary School Examination, scored F9, and could not speak English. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The lead Defence Counsel, Mr Al’Mustafa Abubakar, made an oral bail application, which the prosecution objected to, and the Magistrate reserved the ruling.
Earlier, Abubakar urged the Judge to adjourn the case for a definite hearing, arguing that the prosecution should not hide behind the guise of investigation, which ought to have been completed before the next sitting.
In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Fati Hassan said the only document before her was the FIR. In recognition of the nature of the offence, the defence counsel needs to file a formal application for his client’s bail. She ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility and adjourned the case until Sept. 18.
