The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday set 29 April for the arraignment of a woman, Tracynither Ohiri, over alleged cyberstalking of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Judge James Omotosho adjourned the case after the prosecution lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, applied to the court for a short adjournment to enable him serve the defendant, who was not in court.
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The judge had on 16 April warned that he might strike out the charges filed by the police against Ohiri, the sole defendant in the case.
He issued the warning after the prosecution was unable to produce Ms Ohiri in court for arraignment.
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But neither the defendant nor her lawyer was present in court on Friday.
Mr Madaki told the court that although the matter was scheduled for arraignment, efforts to serve the charge and the hearing notice were unsuccessful.
In response, Mr Omotosho asked him to explain the efforts made.
“What effort have you made? Don’t just come to tell me you have made all your efforts. You cannot abandon your case here,” the judge said.
Mr Madaki said the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and his team travelled to Lagos on 20 April in an attempt to serve the defendant.
“But my lord, they could not find the defendant. They said her door was locked. They even spent three days in Lagos, my lord,” he said.
Following the explanation, the judge adjourned the matter until 29 April for arraignment.
Charges
The police filed 13 counts against Ms Ohiri for cyberstalking and defamation of Mr Umahi.
The charges were filed by Mr Madaki from the Directorate of Legal Services, Police Force Headquarters, Abuja.
In count one, Ohiri was alleged to have, on or about 16 October 2023, transmitted via her TikTok account a video in which she accused the minister of threatening to kill her if she entered Ebonyi State.
The prosecution said the statement was false, menacing, and capable of causing fear and reputational harm, in violation of Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes Act.
Count three, alleged that, on or about 8 March 2024, posted a TikTok video claiming that Mr Umahi victimised her for refusing sexual relations and used his office to oppress women.
Similarly, count four said that on 3 May 2024, she posted that Mr Umahi tied down her business capital for 10 years due to her refusal of alleged sexual advances.
Count six accused her of publishing on Sahara Reporters and circulating on social media on 28 March 2025 a statement alleging that Mr Umahi owed her over N200 million for campaign materials, which she allegedly knew to be false.
Count seven alleged that she claimed on the same date that the alleged non-payment was retaliation for refusal of sexual advances, which she knew to be false and intended to damage reputation.
Count eight accused her of posting a Facebook video on 26 February in which she said Mr Umahi threatened that she would “not leave Ebonyi State alive and that he would do to you what happened to the NELAN Engineers.”
In count 10, the prosecution accused her of causing her publications to be widely shared and circulated across social media platforms, thereby amplifying their reach and impact, with intent to cause hatred, ill will, and reputational injury.
Backstory
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the dispute between Ms Ohiri and Mr Umahi stemmed from a long-running claim by the businesswoman that the minister owes her N250 million for promotional and printing services linked to his 2015 governorship campaign in Ebonyi State.
She alleged that repeated requests for payment were not met and said this later led to alleged advances from the minister, which she rejected. She further stated that the disagreement escalated into threats and police involvement.
Ms Ohiri was later arrested in Lagos over allegations of cyberbullying linked to her social media posts on the dispute. She was moved to Abuja and detained at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command. She was subsequently arraigned before a magistrate’s court in Wuse, Abuja, on a defamation charge and granted bail.
The case gained wider public attention after activist Omoyele Sowore confronted Mr Umahi at the police headquarters and criticised what he described as the criminalisation of a civil matter.
Meanwhile, amid the controversy and following Mr Umahi’s denial of the allegations, Ms Ohiri released a video retracting her claims. She also apologised to the minister and his family after discussions with her relatives, friends and legal advisers.
The matter resurfaced after a viral video in which Ms Ohiri accused her lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, of lack of transparency and poor handling of the case. She claimed she was pressured to withdraw her allegations and that a promised compensation was not paid before she issued her retraction.
However, Mr Abubakar dismissed the claims. He said Ms Ohiri agreed to withdraw her allegations after failing to present evidence of any contractual agreement with Mr Umahi. He added that she was offered options to continue the dispute or pursue settlement and later opted for an apology.
He further stated that after the matter was resolved, a third party paid $70,000 as a peace gesture, not as compensation or admission of liability.
Mr Abubakar said he was considering legal action against Ms Ohiri over what he described as false allegations and threats to his reputation.
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