The Nigeria Police Force has arraigned Friday James Alefia, a 29-year-old journalist and publisher of the online platform Naija News Today, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a five-count charge bordering on false publication, conspiracy, and cyberstalking.
The case arose from reports allegedly published against Hon. Chinedu Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State.
According to Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/531/2025, filed by the Commissioner of Police, the defendants allegedly used social media, particularly Facebook, to publish a series of reports described as false and defamatory against the federal lawmaker in April 2025.
The charge sheet, obtained by SaharaReporters, listed the alleged publications as including: “How Federal Lawmaker Ogah Snatches Village Land in Ebonyi”, “I Rigged Senatorial Poll Against Emmanuel Onwe”, “Ebonyi Rep Member Returns ₦4 Million Amidst Extortion Allegations”, and “Ebonyi Rep Member Threatens Constituent for Supporting Charity Foundation.”
The prosecution claimed that the reports were “false, malicious, and intended to injure the reputation” of the lawmaker, describing them as criminal violations of Sections 24(2)(a) and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and punishable under Section 24(2)(c)(i–ii) of the same Act.
When the case came up before Justice Obiora Egwuatu on Wednesday, Alefia pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
The prosecuting counsel, E. A. Inegbenoise, Esq., from the Police Legal Section, requested a date for trial commencement.
However, defence counsel Israel Abida informed the court that a bail application had been filed, but Justice Egwuatu replied that there was no such application in the court’s file.
“There is no such application before this Court,” the judge stated. “We are not in receipt of any bail application.”
Abida appealed for a short adjournment, explaining that the defendant had been in detention for about two months and that the prosecution was not opposed to bail.
But Justice Egwuatu ruled that, since there was no formal application before the court, bail could not be considered.
The judge then adjourned the case to January 27, 2026, for hearing, and ordered that Alefia be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending trial.
This means the detained journalist may spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in prison custody unless urgent intervention is secured.
Sources confirmed that Alefia was arrested in Lagos on September 23, 2025, by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and transferred to Abuja, where he was initially detained at the defunct SARS facility in Abattoir before being moved to Kuje Prison.
His elder brother, Uchenna Nwanchor, said the family had been unable to secure his release or access him regularly.
He lamented that Alefia’s health was deteriorating due to prolonged detention, adding that relatives had been responsible for feeding him in custody.
“We don’t know the exact date he was arrested, but he has been in detention for over seven weeks now,” Uchenna said. “He was taken from Lagos to Abuja by IRT, and since then we have not been allowed to see him.”
Investigations revealed that the case stemmed from articles published by Naija News Today between December 2024 and April 2025, including one titled “Ogah’s Political Future Uncertain Amid Senate Rumours.”
The report had analysed political speculations that Hon. Ogah was preparing to contest for the Ebonyi Central Senatorial seat in 2027 and contained criticisms of his legislative record and alleged strained relationship with party leaders, claims said to have angered the lawmaker and his aides.
Following the publications, a petition was filed to the police accusing Alefia of defamation, cyberbullying, and character assassination.
When contacted, Hon. Chinedu Ogah confirmed that the matter was before the court but declined further comment.
“I am not a police officer,” he said. “The matter is in court. The young man wrote about 36 stories against me, all false. I won’t speak further, verify from the court.”
He also claimed that no member of the journalist’s family had reached out to him about the issue.
The case has since sparked public outrage in Ebonyi State, where residents and journalists have condemned the lawmaker’s action.
In an open letter posted on Facebook, Odo Chikwere, an Ebonyi resident, urged Ogah to withdraw the case, describing the journalist’s detention as “inhuman and politically vindictive.”
“This young graduate, Alefia Friday, has been in detention at the notorious SARS cell in Abuja for over two weeks now based on a petition,” Chikwere wrote. “From my findings, his health is deteriorating. Honourable Ogah, please show mercy and let him go.”
He added that some well-meaning citizens in Abuja had been feeding Alefia while his family struggled to meet a reported ₦2 million bail requirement.
Media rights groups and press freedom advocates have condemned the growing misuse of the Cybercrimes Act to intimidate and detain journalists.
A journalist and activist, Emmanuel Ogodo, said Alefia’s ordeal “reflects a dangerous trend of criminalising journalism in Nigeria.”