A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed that blogger Stanley Ugagbe be kept in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre following his arraignment on charges of defaming Emem Usoro, the Deputy Governor in charge of Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria. Justice Salim Ibrahim issued the remand order shortly after Ugagbe was arraigned on a six-count charge filed by the Inspector General of Police.
The prosecution alleges that Ugagbe, alongside Fejiro Oliver (also known as Oghenetega Oghenedoro, who is currently at large), published an article on their online platform, Secret Reporters, in 2026. The article in question made highly personal allegations regarding the Deputy Governor’s private life, which the police state was fabricated intentionally to damage her reputation in violation of the Cybercrimes Act.
During the court session, Ugagbe entered a plea of not guilty to all counts. Following his plea, the prosecuting attorney, K.P. Ebong, requested a date to begin the trial. Although defense counsel Adekunle Olanipekun informed the court that a bail application had been filed and was ready to be presented, the judge noted that he had not yet reviewed the application and that the prosecution required time to draft a formal response. Consequently, Justice Ibrahim adjourned the case until September 24 for trial, instructing the prosecution to have all witnesses ready on that date.
Additional counts in the charge sheet focus on other articles published on the same website. In the second count, the defendants are accused of publishing a report alleging that the Deputy Governor concealed a multi-billion naira luxury condominium in California to bypass asset declaration requirements, a claim the police described as a fabrication designed to breach public peace. The third count similarly accuses them of publishing a report linking the Deputy Governor to a luxury property in Los Angeles to threaten and harass her. Further counts in the suit, including the fifth count, charge the defendants under the Penal Code Act for publishing defamatory material on their platform, carrying penalties for criminal defamation.
