By Osahon Osahon
A 30-year-old Facebook activist, Uyi Marybrown Obaseki, has been arraigned before an Oredo Magistrate Court in Benin City, Edo state, on a four-count charge bothering on cyber bullying, criminal intimidation and harassment.
In the suit number MOR/148C/2021, pending before Chief Magistrate E. B. Osifo-Ehigiegbea, Obaseki was accused of publishing “an unauthorized conversation between Barrister Felix Isere, ‘m’ on the internet, between February and March, 2021, with the intention to use it to embarrass, damage the character, insult} , injure, criminally intimidate Barrister Felix Isere, and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 24 (A &B) of the Cyber Crime Act 2015 as applicable in Edo state.
On counts 2 and 3, the accused person was said to have defamed the character of the complaint and threatened his reputation.
According to the charge sheet, in one of the offensive publications on her Facebook account, with the heading: “Exam malpractice: Ize-Iyamu’s errand lawyer to be disbarred”, Uyi Marybrown Obaseki reportedly wrote among other things that “It is no longer news that one hungry-looking roadside lawyer, Felix Isere, who runs court errands for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governorship candidate of the APC in the Edo 2020 election is about to lose his status as a lawyer.
The Police Prosecuting Officer, Sergeant M. O. Olajide, told the court that a peace initiative arranged for settlement was allegedly rejected by the accused, who opted to be charged to court.
When the case was mentioned on Thursday, April 1, Uyi Marybrown Obaseki pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges.
After reviewing the matter, Magistrate Osifo-Ehigiegbea granted the accused person bail in the sum of N100,000, with a surety in like sum, who must swear to an affidavit of means and have his house address verified by the court officials.
