FG Commences Trial of Blogger Who Accused Fashola of Writing Presidential Tribunal Judgement

The federal government has initiated legal proceedings against blogger Victor Ibezim, who stands accused of leveling false accusations against former Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola. The allegations stemmed from Ibezim’s claim that Fashola authored judgments of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) dismissing petitions from the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ibezim was arraigned before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a six-count charge, including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, and defamation. The trial, marked with the reference FHC/ABJ/CR/434/2023 and dated October 17, 2023, commenced following an amended charge filed by the Inspector-General of Police on October 18, 2023.

Ibezim, the sole defendant in the case, faces accusations of collaborating with individuals, including Jackson Udeh, Nnamdi Emmanuel Ibezim, and Reportera.ng, who are currently at large. The charges allege that on or about August 5, 2023, in Abuja, they conspired to publish defamatory statements against Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, through the online platform reportera.ng, without substantiation.

Justice Olajuwon has set April 15 for the continuation of the trial. The offences listed against Ibezim are said to be punishable under Section 27(1)(b) of the Cybercrime Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015, among other counts.