Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted Mrs. Chioma Okoli bail of ₦5 million, with two sureties in the same amount, following allegations related to her online commentary on Erisco Foods Limited’s tomato paste.

In his ruling, Justice Lifu specified that one of the sureties must be the defendant’s spouse or a blood relative with a verifiable source of income residing within the court’s jurisdiction. He also ordered the sureties to submit a passport photograph each and directed Mrs. Okoli to deposit her international passport, if she has one.

Justice Lifu accepted the arguments of Mrs. Okoli’s lawyer, noting that the charges against her are bailable offenses. He emphasized that under Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He added that denying her bail would be a misuse of judicial discretion, equating to a pre-trial judgment and judicial overreach. The judge also considered Mrs. Okoli’s health status in his decision.

The case has been adjourned until June 13 for further hearings. Mrs. Okoli faces charges under the Cybercrime Act, 2015, related to her online comments about Erisco Foods Limited’s tomato paste. She was arraigned by the Inspector-General of Police on a two-count charge of cybercrime and pleaded not guilty to all charges.