The Federal Government has filed charges against Chairman of the Human and Environmental DevelopmentAgenda, HEDA Mr Olarenwaju Suraju, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on alleged cyberstalking of former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.
Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, in a four-count charge as filled in a suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/370/2021, accused Suraju of using his social media handles as well as emails and audio interviews to circulate false information on Adoke.
Adoke had petitioned the Police over the circulation of what he described as forged email and stage-managed phone conversation aimed at roping him in the OPL 245 trial in Italy.
He stated in the petition that the circulated fake tape was an interview he purportedly had with an Italian journalist admitting that the Malabu transaction was a scam.
The lead prosecution counsel, Mr A.O. Shaibu, said HEDAboss’s alleged action violates section24 of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015, adding that it was done with the intention “to insult and dent the image of Mohammed Adoke”.
He informed that an Italian court had since dismissed allegations of corruption in the OPL 245 deal while the prosecutors were being investigated over alleged falsification and manipulation of evidence.
The federal government in Count one of the charge accused Suraju of intentionally circulating an audiotelephone interview between Ms CarlaMaria Rumur, a reporter with RIAReporter in Italy and Mohammed Adoke via his Twitter handle @HEDAagenda which he knew to be false for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes ( Prohibition, PreventionETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act.
Count 2 accused him of committing the same alleged offence in count one through the Twitter handle @HEDAResourcecentre.
Count 3 accused Suraju of “intentionally circulating an email dated June 21, 2011, alleged to have been sent with the email address agroupproperties@yahoo.com owned by A Group Properties and received by a certain Osoluke Bayo O. with the email address Bayo.o.osoluke@ipmorgan, which you knew to be false via your Twitter handle @HEDAagenda for the purpose of causing insult to Adoke and hereby committed an offence contrary to section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act”.
In count 4, he was equally accused of committing the same offence in count three via the facebook handle @HEDAResourcecentre.
