By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday remanded Gabriel-Nkup Tsenyen, the former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Shendam Branch, Plateau, in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik after giving the order adjourned the matter until Aug. 20 when the propriety or otherwise of the defendants’ new trial on alleged cyberstalking and incitement of public disturbances would be decided.

Justice Abdulmalik issued the remand order after the DSS lawyer, Muinat Oladunjoye, applied for the arraignment of Tsenyen.

Shortly after the lawyer was ordered into the dock for his plea to be taken, his counsel, Emmanuel Esene, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raised objection to his client’s arraignment.

Esene told the judge that his client had been arraigned on the same charges in the same Federal High Court in Abuja and that his trial had been fixed for Sept. 28.

He expressed shock over the new arraignment bid and pleaded with the judge not to allow it so as to avoid double jeopardy for the defendant.

Counsel to the DSS, Oladunjoye, from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, denied knowledge of any other similar charge against the lawyer.

This prompted Justice Abdulmalik to demand for a copy of the earlier charge for the purpose of record which was promptly tendered by Esene.

The judge also demanded for records of proceedings in respect of the earlier charge but which could not be produced by the defence on the ground that the new charge came by surprise to them on Aug. 13.

However, to fully ascertain the earlier arraignment on the same charge, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that records of proceedings in the earlier trial be produced before the court on Aug. 20.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2026, was filed by Rotimi Oyedepo, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation.

In count one, Tsenyen was alleged to have, sometime in May 2026, sent a malicious publication via Ngootuguut Local Community Whatsapp platform, alleging that the entire Ngootuguut community was involved in a plot to eliminate him.

The prosecution alleged that Tsenyen knew the content of the said publication was false but sent it out for the purpose of causing enmity, hatred, ill-will and needless anxiety in the Ngootuguut community.

The offence, the prosecution said, is punishable under Section 24(1) of Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, etc) Act, 2015, as amended. (NAN)

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