The bail hearing of activist and social media personality, Justice Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, was on Thursday delayed at the Federal High Court in Abuja following a disagreement within his legal team over who should lead the defence.
The dispute led to the withdrawal of an earlier bail application filed on behalf of the activist, forcing the court to adjourn proceedings until Monday, May 18, for the hearing of a fresh application.
Speaking with journalists after the court session, one of the defence lawyers, Femi Balogun, accused fellow counsel Marshall Abubakar of frustrating the bail process after being prevented from leading the case.
Balogun said the activist’s family had directed him to take charge of the defence because of his seniority at the bar.
According to him, Marshall, who initially filed the bail application, insisted on leading the proceedings despite the presence of more senior lawyers on the team.
“Today the matter was supposed to be for the hearing of the bail application. However, I was directed by the family to lead in respect of the matter for today,” Balogun said.
He added that although Marshall participated in previous proceedings, legal seniority should have guided the conduct of the defence team.
Balogun alleged that Marshall withdrew the bail application after he was denied the lead role in court.
“But today, I insisted that I have to lead based on the fact that the family has directed me to lead. But Marshall, in his vindictive way, applied to strike out the bail application on the basis that he’s not leading, which is unfair,” he said.
He argued that internal disagreements among lawyers should not interfere with the defendant’s right to seek bail and regain his freedom.
According to him, the court subsequently struck out the application following the withdrawal request and directed the defence to file a fresh one.
Balogun disclosed that a new bail application would be submitted immediately ahead of Monday’s hearing.
“The court directed us to come back on Monday, May 18. We are going to file the bail application today, and the matter will be heard on Monday,” he said.
He also revealed that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, had taken over the prosecution of the case from the Department of State Services, though the prosecution did not object during proceedings.
Justice Crack was earlier remanded in prison custody over a viral video in which he allegedly criticised the feeding conditions of Nigerian Army personnel.
He is facing charges related to alleged cyber offences under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.
One of the charges accused him of knowingly circulating false information through his social media handle, @JusticeCrack, with intent to cause annoyance, ill will and public discord.
The case has continued to generate reactions online, with supporters describing the prosecution as an attempt to suppress dissenting voices, while authorities maintain that the charges are based on existing laws regulating online publications.