The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out charges of cybercrime against a former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim and associate, Chinedu Okpaleke.
During the trial on Thursday, Justice Taiwo Taiwo struck out the charges upon receipt of a letter from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), seeking the withdrawal of the charges.
A lawyer from the office of the AGF made an application to discontinue the charges, whereupon the court granted the same and struck out the charges against the accused persons.
Ohakim and his associate had allegedly threatened to release the nude photos of an Abuja-based woman, Chinyere Amuchienwa over a N500 million land transaction.
In 2020, Ohakim accused Amuchienwa of failing to account for his 2019 governorship campaign funds, which she countered by accusing him of land fraud.
The land in question is said to be located in Ikeja, Lagos.
In a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Amuchienwa accused Ohakim of conspiracy, criminal intimidation, defamation of character, attempted abduction and threat to life as well as accepting payment of a sum of N500 million for the purchase of land in Lagos.
The police had filed criminal charges against Ohakim and Chinedu Okpareke over an alleged threat to Amuchienwa’s life.
The police in 2021 arrested and detained Amuchienwa following Ohakim’s allegation of blackmail and pointing a gun at him at an Asokoro hotel.
On Amuchienwa’s fresh complaint about imminent threats to upload her nude videos, the Legal/Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja filed criminal charges against Ohakim and Okpaleke, accusing them of conspiracy to cause annoyance, criminal intimidation, and threat to upload nude pornographic videos of Amuchienwa.
The police charge reads, “That you Chinedu Okpaleke ‘m’, Dr Ikedi Ohakim ‘m’, and others now at large, on or about the 13th day of August 2020, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did, by means of computer system or network, send a nude picture, indecent obscene or menacing characters to one Chinyere Amuchienwa ‘f’ and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention Etc) Act 2015.”
The police said the alleged offences are punishable under Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, etc.) Act, 2005. section 140 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 1968.
However, the police later arraigned Amuchienwa in court for allegedly providing false information in a petition she wrote against Ohakim.
The office of the AGF took over the case in September 2021.
