CRIME: COURT REMANDS FORMER GOVERNOR'S AIDE FOR ALLEGEDLY DEFAMING SOKOTO GOV, WIFE

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On Friday, a Sokoto Chief Magistrate Court remanded Shafi’u Umar to a correctional facility for allegedly spreading fake information against Gov. Ahmad Aliyu and his wife on social media.

Umar, 37, was the Special Assistant to former Governor Aminu Tambuwal and has been charged with disseminating false information and engraving defamatory material.

The case was originally cited on August 26, and the police prosecutor, Insp. Abdurahman Mansur, stated that the offence violated the penal code law.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the defendant committed the act 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 in spite of the present hardships faced by citizens.

Umar was also accused of circulating a paper claiming that Gov. Aliyu failed his Senior Secondary School Examination, scored F9, and is unable to speak English.

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The lead defence counsel, Mr. Al’Mustafa Abubakar, presented an oral plea for bail, which was opposed by the prosecution, and the magistrate deferred his decision.

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Earlier, Abubakar requested the judge delay the matter for a definite hearing, stating that the prosecution should not hide under the garb of an inquiry that should have been concluded by the next sitting.

In her verdict, Chief Magistrate Fati Hassan stated that the only document before her was the FIR and that due to the severity of the offence, the defence counsel must file a formal application for his client’s bail.

Hassan delayed the case until September 18.

She ordered that the defendant be remanded to a correctional facility.