Man Lands In Court For Spreading Fake News on Social media

The Kogi State Magistrate Court 1 sitting in Lokoja has adjourned till next week Tuesday to determine the bail application for one Habib Rabiu (35), who was accused of spreading fake news.

It would be recalled that the defendant alleged through his Facebook account that fever is killing many people in Kogi State, a situation that raised public anxiety.

The Magistrate Court 1, Presided over by O. Joel Omajali, ordered that the accused be remanded in the DSS facility.

The accused, a native of Ayingba, Dekina LGA, was blamed for spreading fake news capable of causing public disturbances.

On Friday, he pleaded not guilty to the alleged offences said to have been committed on the 10th day of June, 2020.

The accused was said to have created injurious falsehood, stating that people were dying of fever at an alarming rate, indirectly saying there is COVID-19 in the state, contrary to the position of the state government on the matter.

The Kogi State Director of Public Prosecution, Habib Abdullahi, argued that having confessed to the allegations and indicted other persons at large, granting the accused person bail, would tamper with ongoing investigation by the DSS, and therefore urged the court to refuse the bail application.

Deborah. A. Olorunmaiye, counsel to the defendant, argued that the offence committed is bail able, with the court having a wide discretion, and pleaded with the court to grant the accused person bail.

In her ruling on the bail application, O. J. Omajali said having meticulously listened to the argument of both counsels, noted that the offence committed is bailable.

She consequently ordered that the accused be remanded in the custody of the DSS facility for further investigations and adjourned the matter till Tuesday (18/ 8/2020), for determination of the bail application.