The Nigeria Police have charged a journalist, Isaac Bristol, AKA PIDOM for “money laundering, cybercrime, and unlawfully obtaining, retaining and disseminating classified official secret documents.”
Bristol had been arraigned on nine counts before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Following his plea of not guilty, Justice Nwite suspended the case to the 23rd of September, 2024 for the ruling of the bail application that was filed on behalf of the defendant and then directed his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
This is coming after his arrest on August 5, 2024, in his hotel room in Rivers State.
What They’re Saying
Nigerian Police Force spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had said that he was arrested on allegations of “committing serious offences that undermine the integrity of government operations”.
The statement also added that there were several allegations levelled against the suspect, including unlawful possession, leakages of classified documents, cyber-related offences, and others.
The statement further added that the Police Force would leave nothing to chance in its efforts to continually enforce the law and bequeath to Nigerians a more secure nation.
The confirmation had come after a notable investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, revealed that PIDOM had been arrested by the Nigerian Police Force.
Hundeyin’s X post had sparked concern among the Nigerian online community, prompting a trending campaign on the platform calling for more information and release of PIDOM, using hashtags like #PIDOM, #FreePidom, and #WhereisPidom etc.
