A Federal High Court in Abuja has detained journalist Isaac Bristol, known as PIDOM, for money laundering, cybercrime, and the unlawful acquisition, retention, and dissemination of classified official secret documents.
Isaac stepped into the dock at about 12:30pm and pleaded not guilty to the nine counts of cybercrime-related offenses filed against him by the police.
Justice Emeka Nwite remanded him on Tuesday after being arraigned by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for mobilising and soliciting support to “unduly compel” the government to act or abstain from certain acts through the #EndBadGovernance protest, false money-laundering allegations against President Bola Tinubu, and unlawfully obtaining, retaining and disseminating classified secret documents in contravention of the Official Secret Act 1962.
His lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, after mentioning his appearance, obtained permission from the court and asked Deji Adeyanju to continue with the case.
Adeyanju requested bail for his client on health grounds, but the judge rejected his oral application as he requested a formal and written request for bail.
He appealed to the judge to order that the defendant be sent to police custody because of his health problems.
Isaac, who was seriously ill, coughed heavily during court after being held in the underground cell at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Area 10 in Abuja for 28 days.
After his plea of not guilty, Justice Nwite adjourned the case until September 23, 2024 for the ruling on the bail application filed by the defendant, and then ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The development comes in the wake of his arrest on August 5, 2024, at a hotel room in Rivers State.
Nigerian Police Force spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said he was arrested on allegations of “committing serious offences that undermine the integrity of government operations”.
The statement added that there were multiple accusations against the suspect, including unlawful possession, leaking classified documents, cyber-related offences, and others.
According to the statement, the Police Force will strive to continuously enforce the law and provide Nigerians with a more secure nation.
The arrest of PIDOM was confirmed by investigative journalist David Hundeyin.
Hundeyin’s post sparked concern among the Nigerian online community, prompting a trending campaign on X (formerly Twitter) calling for the whereabouts and release of PIDOM, using hashtags like #PIDOM, #FreePidom, and #WhereisPidom, among others.
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