Gombe Magistrate Court Remands Goje’s Media Aide Over Facebook Post

A 27-year-old New Media aide to Senator Danjuma Goje, Muhammad Yayari, has been remanded by a Chief Magistrate Court in Pantami area on Tuesday, over the alleged fabrication of falsehood on Facebook.

Yayari was arrested by the Government, following a post that over 80 per cent of ward executives in Yalmatu Deba Local Government Area had resigned their positions due to the recent incident involving a former governor, now senator representing Gombe Central, Goje.

Recall that the All Progressives Congress through the Publicity Secretary, Moses Kyari, had vowed to prosecute the purveyors of the information, describing the purported resignation as a rumour.

The accused who pleaded not guilty to injurious falsehood, inciting disturbance, and cyberstalking, before Chief Magistrate Mohammed Kumo, would be remanded till the 6th of December 2021.

Kumo had earlier, ordered the police to remove the section (cyberstalking) that ousted the court jurisdiction or for the accused to be taken to the appropriate court with jurisdiction to hear of the offence.

The Chief Magistrate stated that both counsels pleas have given him cause for worry, “Counsels are too passionate about granting bail and otherwise, so much so that I will adjourn this matter to Monday the 6th day of December for ruling,” Kumo added.

The persecution counsel, Barr. Ramatu Hassan, had appealed to the Chief Magistrate to deny the accused bail.

She added that it was to protect the accused following the political tension in the community.

“Formerly the First Information Report, was defective, we had to apply to the police for another FIR. The defendant denied commiting the alleged offence. My expectation is that by Monday, he may be granted since the offence is a bailable offence. Like I said in the court it may not augur well for him even if granted bail with his immediate community,” Hassan said.

Counsels to the accused, Barr. A. B. Albani and Sa’idu Kumo, had applied for the bail of the defendant citing that Yayari may miss his National Service.

“As constitutionally provided we applied for the bail but the court as adjourned it till Monday for ruling. The defendant is entitled to bail, we hope the judge will look at it an exercise his discretion on it,” the counsels added.