Court grants bail to detained journalist Friday Alefia

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to detained journalist Friday Alefia.

Delivering the ruling on Thursday, the judge, Obiora Egwuatu, granted the jourbaliist bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties in like sum.

Mr Egwuatu said the sureties must be residents of Abuja and directed the court to verify their addresses.

He also said each of the sureties must provide two recent passport photographs and acceptable means of identification.

Mr Alefia is being detained at the instance of Chinedu Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, who accused him of publishing allegedly false reports about him.

The journalist, who faces five cybercrime charges over the publication and has now been detained for two months, is left scrambling to meet the stringent bail conditions that include presenting a federal civil service as a surety for him to be released.

The court ordered that one of the two sureties must be a federal civil servant on at least Grade Level 15 and must present an employment letter, a promotion letter confirming current rank, and an official identity card. The originals of these documents must be produced for sighting.

The second surety is required to swear an affidavit of means stating his or her occupation, supported with documentary evidence. The suretey must also provide a six-month bank statement from an account domiciled in Abuja and tax clearance certificates for the past three years.

The requirement for senior civil servants as sureties has recently drawn public criticism. Earlier in January, rights activist and AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore rejected a similar bail condition imposed by the police, describing the demand for a Level 17 civil servant as unrealistic and “frivolous.”

He argued that top-ranking civil servants, many of whom are politically appointed,

are rarely willing or available to stand as sureties, making such conditions difficult for defendants to meet.

Mr Egwuatu ruled that Mr Alefia be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned to 27 January 2026 for the commencement of the hearing.

Background

Thursday’s ruling followed repeated delays in the bail proceedings. At earlier sittings, the court imposed a N50,000 fine on the prosecution for failing to properly serve its counter-affidavit opposing bail.

Mr Alefia’s lawyer, Israel Abida, told PREMIUM TIMES that proceedings stalled again on Monday after the prosecution filed a counter-affidavit but failed to serve the defence or provide the court with its own copy.

Attempts to serve the defence in open court were unsuccessful because the judge had no record of the filing.

“Because neither the court nor the defence had the counter-affidavit, we could not proceed,” Mr Abida said.

The defence had first been unable to move its bail application on 12 November because the prosecution had not been served and the court’s file contained no copy of the application.

A similar situation occurred at the Monday sitting, prompting the judge to adjourn the matter to Thursday and impose the N50,000 cost on the prosecution for what the defence described as an avoidable delay.

Mr Alefia, who has remained in custody despite health concerns, was expected in court for the hearing.

He was arrested in Lagos on 23 September, transferred to Abuja, and held for six weeks at the now-defunct SARS facility before being arraigned.

He is accused of publishing allegedly false reports about Chinedu Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State.

He faces five counts under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Amendment Act.

Mr Alefia is the publisher of Naija News Today (formerly Asiwaju Media). The Commissioner of Police is listed as the complainant, with Mr Alefia and Asiwaju Media Company Ltd named as first and second defendants respectively.

Rights groups have repeatedly criticised the use of cybercrime laws to target journalists and critics.

Arraignment

During the arraignment, the prosecution informed the court that the matter was scheduled for a plea.

Mr Alefia pleaded not guilty to all five charges, while the judge entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of the second defendant.

Although the prosecution requested a hearing date, Mr Abida drew attention to a pending bail application.

The court noted that its file contained no such application, and the prosecution claimed it had not been served.

Mr Abida urged the court to grant a short adjournment, saying the defendant had been in custody for two months and that the prosecution was not opposed to bail.

The judge declined, saying he could not consider an unseen application.

He initially adjourned the trial till 27 January 2026 and ordered the defendant’s remand in Kuje prison before the defence secured an earlier bail hearing date of 27 November.

Charges

Count one accuses the defendants of conspiracy for allegedly using computer systems, including Facebook, to make false publications.

Count two alleges they published a report titled “How Federal Lawmaker Ogah Snatches Village Land in Ebonyi,” knowing it to be false.

In count three, Mr Alefia is accused of cyberstalking for allegedly posting a false statement quoting Ogah as saying: “I rigged senatorial poll against Emmanuel Onwe.”

Count four concerns a publication titled “Ebonyi Rep Member Returns N4 Million Amidst Extortion Allegations,” while count five relates to another report titled “Ebonyi Rep Member Threatens Constituent for Supporting Charity Foundation.”

All offences are said to violate Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act and are punishable under Section 24(2)(c)(i).

Mr Alefia now joins a growing list of Nigerians facing trial under the controversial cybercrime law.