Africa-Press – Nigeria. A Makurdi Chief Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Kevin Mbanongun Esq, has fixed August 19, 2025, for ruling on its jurisdiction to adjudicate the offence of cyberstalking preferred against journalist Henry Ibya.
The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, has charged Ibya, a correspondent of the Aljazirah newspaper, with publishing injurious falsehood, defamation and cyberbulling. The Director of ICT at Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, Terna Abuul, reportedly brought the complaint, alleging a false publication against him in the media.
When the case first came up for hearing, Magistrate Mbanongun addressed counsel for both parties and expressed concern over the prosecutor’s inability to complete investigations since April 2025, when the accused was first brought before the court. He acknowledged that the case was not struck out ab initio “because of the charge of cyberstalking.”
The magistrate accordingly adjourned until August 19, 2025, for ruling on the issue of jurisdiction raised by the prosecution. Defence counsel Tom Uja had earlier argued that the prosecution’s request for more time to finalise investigations was “bad practice,” contending that the complainant’s absence in court demonstrated unseriousness and amounted to a ploy to inflict hardship on his client. MT Testim, standing in for the prosecuting counsel, objected to the court’s power to try the accused on jurisdictional grounds and accused the defence of alleged inconsistency in its submissions.
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