ABUJA, Nigeria – Yisa Usman, a deputy director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, was arraigned in court on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, on allegations of threatening Raheemat Oloyede, wife of the board’s registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, with the intent to blackmail him.
Usman was brought before Justice Nkeonye Maha of the Federal High Court in Abuja by the police, facing a five-count charge on behalf of the Federal Government.
The offences, allegedly committed with Abdulfatai Usman who is currently at large, occurred between February 14 and 15, 2022.
According to the charges, the defendants used the phone number +447529723948 to communicate with Mrs Oloyede through a network computer system.
This communication is considered “grossly offensive, indecent, or criminal intimidation to cause inconvenience or needless anxiety” under sections 24(1)(a) and 1(b) of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
Usman pleaded not guilty to all the counts, after which the police prosecutor, Eristo Asaph, applied for a trial date.
His counsel, Moses Balogun, requested bail for Usman on liberal terms or self-recognition, citing his client’s compliance with the terms of an administrative bail granted during the investigation.
The court granted Usman bail in the sum of N2 million, along with a surety who must be a civil servant on Level 14 or a responsible citizen who has paid taxes for two years.
The defendant and the surety are also required to submit their travel documents and a passport photograph each to the court registrar.
Despite being granted bail, Justice Maha ordered Usman to be remanded in a correctional center until his bail conditions are met.
The case has been adjourned until October 26, 2023, for trial.
