The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party and member of the Interim Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Chika Nwoba, has been remanded in prison custody by an Abakaliki Magistrate Court.
Nwoba was arraigned by the police on Tuesday on a three-count charge of threat to life, publication of false information and false allegation.
The police arrested him on Sunday following a petition by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Ebonyi State, Oguzor Offia-Nwali.
Mr Nwali alleged that Mr Nwoba had in a series of posts on Facebook defamed him, threatened his life and falsely accused him of fraud and diversion of state government funds meant for the empowerment of petty traders in the state.
Nwoba’s lawyer, C N Ufufu, made an oral application for bail for his client after the charges were read out.
The lawyer, who said the offences were bailable, argued that the prosecution did not get the approval of the attorney general of Ebonyi State to prosecute the matter in line with the requirement of the Ebonyi State Internal Security Enforcement law under which he was being charged.
But the lawyer to the police, Eze Chinagorom, opposed the bail application. He argued that the Supreme Court had already ruled that a police officer does not need formal permission to prosecute a matter in court since he (the police officer) is representing the attorney general.
Ruling on the matter, the magistrate, Lilian Ogodo, said the proper place for the argument is at the state High Court since the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
She, therefore, remanded the accused at the Abakaliki correctional facility and ordered that the case file be transmitted to the Ministry of Justice for action.
The magistrate adjourned the matter until 1 March.
