By Christopher Oji
The Federal Government has formerly filed a charge against the Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Mr. Olarenwaju Suraju, for allegedly cyberstalking the former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) , Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
The founr- count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/370/2021, slammed on Suraju, was filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The charge which was filed by Office of Attorney General of the Federation, is coming nearly six months after the defendant was arrested and investigated by the police.
And It was as a result of a petition written against the defendant by Adoke to the police over alleged cyberstalking.
In the four count charge, the office of AGF is accusing the anti-corruption crusader of circulating in his social media handles, emails and audio interview information which he “knew to be false after same was rejected in evidence in a criminal court in Italy”.
The charge which was signed by the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. A.O. Shaibu, alleged that the HEDA boss committed the alleged act which violates Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, with the aim “to insult and dent the image of Mohammed Adoke”.
In count one of the charge, Suraju was accused of intentionally circulating an audio telephone interview between Ms CarlaMaria Rumur, a reporter with RIAReporter in Italy and Mohammed Adoke via his twitter handle @HEDAagenda which he knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 24 of the Cybercrimes ( Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
In count two, Suraju was accused of committing the same alleged offense in count one through the twitter handle @HEDAResourcecentre.
In count three, the prosecution however, accused Suraju of “intentionally circulating an email dated June 21, 2011, alleged to have been sent with the email address [email protected] owned by A Group Properties and received by a certain Osoluke Bayo O. with the email address bayo.o.osoluke@ipmorgan, which you knew to be false via your twitter handle @HEDAagenda for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and hereby committed an offense contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes ( Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act”.
In count 4, the defendant was equally accused of committing same offense in count three via the facebook handle @HEDAResourcecentre.