Alleged Threat to Life: Blogger Ofoegbu Bail Application Stalls

lChizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, a blogger who is also known as Ijele Speaks, is to spend another seven days in prison as the ruling on his bail application failed to hold in Abuja yesterday.

He was dragged before the Wuse Zone 6 Magistrate Court Abuja by the police for threatening the life of Evangelist Ebuka Anozie Obi, the founder and spiritual director of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach.

His bail application could not be ruled on yesterday as a result of the ill-health of Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna handling the alleged criminal intimidation, threat to life, cyberstalking, and cyberbullying of Evangelist Ebuka Obi.
The Chief Magistrate had, on Monday, fixed Friday to rule on the bail application filed by the blogger through his lawyer, Mr. Marvin Omorogbe. Parties in the matter, who were in court as early as nine in the morning, were later informed by an official of the court that it would not sit because the trial Magistrate was indisposed.

Speaking on the Chief Judge’s absence, the Clerk said, “My Lord is not feeling fine. Yesterday I called him and from his voice, I observed he is not feeling well. I just made a call now, he told me that he is seriously down.”

 Consequently, April 18 was fixed as new date for the ruling on the bail application by the blogger.
 Defence counsel had, on Monday prayed the court to set aside the remand order granted against his client and order his release from the Keffi Correctional Center or, in the alternative, admit him to bail. Opposing the application for the bail of the applicant, Police Lawyer, Obiora Ejiofor said, there was no evidence placed before the court to warrant the exercise of its discretion to grant the applicant bail.

He had informed the court that, the police had filed a 4-count criminal charge against the applicant before the Federal High Court in Abuja and were waiting for a date to arraign the applicant.  

The problem with the social media content creator started when the police arrested him over his alleged threat to kill the founder and spiritual director of Zion Prayer Movement. In a video he posted on his Facebook page, Ofoegbu, appearing in military camouflage, threatened to kill Ebuka Obi and cut off his head.

He also threatened to kill any police officer who attempts to arrest him. In another post, Ofoegbu carried a placard on which he wrote “Evangelist Ebuka Obi is a criminal and liar” and tagged all the miracles in Zion as deceits, urging the police to arrest him for turning his religious institution into a business enterprise.

 The development led to the filing of a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on the threat to the life of Evangelist Ebuka and cyber-bullying by the legal team of the church.  

Ofoegbu is currently being remanded in prison custody pending his trial in court.