A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court has on remanded a 35-year-old man, Paul Gyenger, in prison custody for allegedly calling Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue “a chronic womaniser” on his official Facebook page.
The court sat on Wednesday in Makurdi the State capital.
Gyenger, who lives in Makurdi, was charged with ‘cyberstalking’ and ‘defamation of character’.
However, the Chief Magistrate, Mr Kelvin Mbanongun, did not take the plea of the suspect for want in jurisdiction, and adjourned the matter until December 17, 2024 for further mention.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Inspector Godwin Ato, told the court that the case was reported at the Anti-cyber-crimes and Narcotics Unit, Makurdi by the ADC to the governor, ASP Ver Ingyatu, on October 16, 2024.
Ingyatu reported that the suspect posted on a Facebook account bearing ‘Terna Sunday Tyo’ that, “the Governor is a chronic womanizer’.
The complainant said that the suspect also used abusive words in Tiv Language to defame the character of the governor in different ways on the same Facebook account.
The prosecutor said that the suspect was arrested after police investigation.
Ato further said the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 24 of the Cyber-crimes Act, 2015 and 393 of the penal code of Benue