Twenty-five days after she was arrested and detained for allegedly threatening the life of President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, granted bail to a social media activist, Ms. Olamide Thomas.
Thomas, who was arrested in Lagos on December 13, 2024, is facing a three-count charge preferred against her by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun.
The prosecution alleged that she had in a video she recorded on her Facebook page on October 20, wished death on President Tinubu’s son as well as on the children of the IGP and those of the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, Muyiwa Adejobi.
The defendant reportedly made the video after she was allegedly brutalized by police officers during the #EndSARS memorial procession at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
A day after she was arrested, she was transferred to the National Cyber-Crime Centre, NCCC, of the Nigeria police in Abuja and, subsequently, charged to court.
Meanwhile, upon her arraignment in court on December 20, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the cyber-bullying charge entered against her.
In a ruling, yesterday, trial Justice Emeka Nwite granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.
Justice Nwite held that nothing was placed before the court by the prosecution to establish that the defendant posed a flight risk.
He held that having examined the affidavit evidence of both the defence and the prosecution counsel, the court found no reason to believe that the defendant would jump bail if released from detention.
More so, the court noted that the charge against the defendant contained bailable offences, adding the nothing was adduced to show that she would interfere with witnesses that are billed to testify in the matter.
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Consequently, Justice Nwite, who held that it was in the interest of justice for the court to accede to the defendant’s bail request, stressed that the surety must depose to an affidavit of means.
He further directed the surety, who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court, must tender a three-year tax clearance certificate.
Besides, Justice Nwite ordered both the defendant and the surety to deposit their two recent passport photographs with the Registrar of the court.
