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| Abubakar Usman |
Abubakar Usman, a
Nigerian blogger detained since Monday by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, is having difficulties meeting the stringent bail conditions
demanded by the agency, his lawyer said.
PREMIUM TIMES report continues:
The
lawyer, Michael Bello, said on Tuesday that he and other legal
representatives of Mr. Usman may be left with no other choice than to pursue a
fundamental rights enforcement in the court of law.
Mr.
Usman, a blogger known for his strong pro-APC views, was whisked away from his
Abuja home early Monday by anti-graft operatives. He has remained in custody
since.
Family
sources said Mr. Usman was arrested for a report he published on his blog on
August 2, which accused the EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, of going after some
EFCC staff.
The
EFCC claimed Mr. Usman was apprehended because he allegedly contravened the
Cyber Crime Act, 2015.
The
agency was, however, silent on the specific sections of the law that Mr. Usman
contradicted.
“The
suspect has already been offered administrative bail and would be released to
his elected sureties,” a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren,
said.
But
Mr. Bello said his client was not a criminal and, as such, did not deserve to
be subjected to “draconian bail conditions”.
“They
said we should provide two directors in the federal civil service who have
landed properties in Abuja municipal area,” Mr. Bello said. “We have no means
of meeting this conditions right now and we would continue to plead with them
to soften them.”
Mr.
Bello said Mr. Usman was unwell at the time of his arrest, as he was battling
typhoid.
As
a result, Mr. Bello said he may not be able to tolerate EFCC’s foot-dragging
for too long because of the trauma his family had been subjected to and the
need to save his client’s health from deteriorating.
“We
would approach the court for enforcement of his fundamental rights if they
don’t soften their strict requirement for his bail,” Mr. Bello said. “He needs
to attend to his health and his nursing wife should be considered.”
Mr.
Bello said he was allowed access to his client around 6:00 p.m. Monday and on
Tuesday at noon.
Mr.
Usman’s arrest has earned the Nigerian government widespread condemnation, and
some of his acquaintances said they were making efforts to secure his release.
Chidi
Odinkalu, president of Unity Schools Old Students Association, decried the
development and said members of the organization had launched an appeal for Mr.
Usman’s release.
“He
expressed his free speech on his blog and we don’t think he should be punished
for that,” Mr. Odinkalu said Tuesday. “In any case, he graduated from Federal
Government College, Ugbolawo, and, therefore, a member of the Unity Schools Old
Students Association.”
“We’re
making serious efforts towards his release.”
Mr.
Uwujaren did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ calls and text messages trying to
confirm if his agency had received formal appeal for leniency from Mr. Usman’s
lawyers.
Why We Arrested Blogger Abubakar Usman — EFCC
PREMIUM
TIMES reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday said
it arrested a pro-government blogger, Abubakar Usman, for alleged
cyberstalking.
In
a statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, on Monday, the EFCC said Mr.
Usman, a blogger and social media strategist known for his strong pro-APC
views, was picked from his home in the Abuja suburb of Kubwa on Monday morning
and was currently being quizzed by anti-graft agents.
The
EFCC said Mr. Usman’s activities contradicted sections of the Cyber Crime Act,
but that he had been granted administrative bail and would be released after
successfully providing sureties.
The
statement, was, however, silent on the specific sections of the Cyber Crime Act
Mr. Usman breached.
The
arrest of the blogger sparked condemnation from Nigerians on social media, with
the “FreeAbusidiq” hashtag trending on Twitter for most of Monday.
If
charged, Mr. Usman would be the third blogger to be arrested under the Cyber
Crime Act, which was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Bloggers Seun Oloketuyi and Emmanuel Ojo were arrested in 2015 for offences that allegedly contravened the act.
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