JUST IN: Court grants N5million bail to social media critic accused of insulting Akpabio

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Garus Gololo, social media commentator and politician, in his ongoing trial over alleged cybercrime and the defamation of Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The court admitted Gololo to bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum, adding that ruled that the surety must be a grade level 12 officer in the federal civil service.

After the ruling, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned the case until September 22 for the continuation of trial.

Gololo is standing trial on a seven-count charge filed by the Nigeria Police Force bordering on alleged cybercrime, cyberstalking, defamation and incitement. He had earlier been remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre after pleading not guilty to the charges.

The prosecution alleged that Gololo published a viral video and Facebook posts claiming that Akpabio said northerners must support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 or risk being expelled from Nigeria.

According to the charge, Gololo also alleged that the Senate President said “with or without the North, Tinubu would win”.

The office of the Senate President denied making the alleged comments, describing the claims as “completely false, malicious, and deliberately intended to mislead the public and incite tension”. The office said the allegation had “no basis in fact” and urged Nigerians to disregard it.

It also asked security agencies to investigate Gololo and demanded that he provide evidence to substantiate the allegations.