The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday took a final-year student from Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Maryam Isah Shehu, to the Federal High Court in Abuja. This was for a social media post that the EFCC claims aimed to damage its reputation.
Abubakar Abdulhamid was also charged separately for a similar offense. Both of them appeared before Judge Joyce Abdulmalik to respond to one count each.
When the charges were read, they both pleaded not guilty. According to a statement from EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Ms Shehu is charged with one count related to a post on her Instagram account, @maryamshehu.
The EFCC claims that on June 21, she shared a message that said EFCC officials attacked Ahmed Uthman on orders from a zonal director who allegedly collected N20 million from Usman Abbas. The EFCC argues that this post was meant to harm its reputation and broke Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
Mr Abdulhamid faced the same charge. The EFCC claimed that in May, he used his X account, @shuraimi, to share an image that looked like an official EFCC arrest placard. This image showed Sadeeq Kabeer as an EFCC suspect, with the label: “His only crime was selling laptops at an affordable price to students.” The commission stated that this post was also meant to damage its reputation.
Defendants seek bail
After the pleas were entered, prosecution lawyer Elizabeth Alabi requested the court to set a date for trial. She asked that Ms Shehu be held in the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State.
However, her lawyer, C.O. Amalaha, told the court that a bail application had been submitted. She asked the judge to grant bail to Ms Shehu on reasonable terms. Mr Abdulhamid's lawyer, Adamu Adamu, also informed the court about his client's bail application and requested that his client be held in EFCC custody.
Court order
Judge Abdulmalik ordered that Ms Shehu be held in Suleja Correctional Centre and Mr Abdulhamid in Kuje Correctional Centre. The judge postponed the case until August 31 for the hearing of the bail applications and for the trial to begin.
The EFCC mentioned that this prosecution is part of efforts to bring to justice those who blackmail, fabricate stories, and try to damage the commission's image.
Lawyers question EFCC’s action
This prosecution has faced criticism from lawyers questioning whether the EFCC even has the authority to tackle cases of defamation and social media posts. Abuja-based lawyer and activist Hamza Dantani, in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, urged the EFCC to stick to its legal limits.
Dantani pointed out that defamation does not automatically become an economic or financial crime just because it happened on social media. “The EFCC cannot claim jurisdiction over every allegation just because it is controversial or attracts attention,” he said.
He also criticized the practice of publishing suspects' photos before they are convicted, saying it can violate their rights to dignity, privacy, and the presumption of innocence. He mentioned Sections 34(1), 36(5), and 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Sections 8 and 15 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Dantani noted that taking a picture of someone for investigation is different from publicly sharing that picture in a way that can damage their reputation. “The EFCC must remain the EFCC, not a general police force, not a civil-defamation tribunal, and certainly not a court,” he said.
He called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to look into this matter and ensure the EFCC sticks to its legal role. Another lawyer, Abba Hikima, also urged Mr Fagbemi, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to step in.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Hikima noted that Ms Shehu had been in EFCC custody for 35 days before the charges were filed against her. He questioned why it took so long for the commission to act on a social media post. Hikima also mentioned that Ms Shehu raised a corruption claim against an EFCC zonal director and asked if the claim had been independently investigated. He called for the authorities to look into the allegation against the EFCC official and for Ms Shehu to be granted bail.
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