January 27, (THEWILL) – The Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi state, Nwoba Chika Nwoba was yesterday arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital.
He was arraigned for allegedly publishing false information against Governor Dave Umahi on his facebook handle and also publishing materials capable of breaching public peace.
The offence according to the charges against him was punishable under section 4 of the state cybercrimes (Prohibition Law No. 012 of 2021.
Nwoba was arrested three weeks ago by the state command of Ebubeagu Security Network and handed to the police for prosecution which sparked off outcry by his party.
He was to be arraigned three weeks ago, but slumped in court.
The court ordered that he should be taken to a medical facility for medical attention after which he will face the charges preferred against him.
Yesterday, he was arraigned and remanded by the Magistrate court presided over by Blessing Chukwu.
A 15-count charge was preferred against Nwoba which he pleaded not guilty.
The court ruled that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter and ordered that Nwoba be remanded in police custody, undergo Covid,-19 test and taken to the Correctional Service Centre.
The court adjourned the matter to February 4 for report of compliance and ordered that the case file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution.
Nwoba’s counsel, Luke Nkwegu had argued before the court that the state cybercrimes Prohibition Law upon which Nwoba was being tried had not been gazetted and prayed the court to grant the defendant bail.
He told journalists that the next line of action was to utilise the provisions of the law to get Nwoba out, which he said starts immediately.
About the Author
Sunday Ogbu is a professional journalist with eight - twelve years experience that had worked with various print and online media. Sunday specializes in news reporting with the aim of educating his readers on current social, political and economic occurences within his area of coverage. Sunday is a strong force to work with in the media industry and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed. Sunday is inspired daily by his wife and their four children. In his free time, Sunday likes sight-seeing, reading and discussing issues of societal interest.
