A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of actress Angela Okorie in Suleja Correctional Centre over alleged cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Wednesday after Angela was arraigned on a three count charge filed by the Nigeria Police Force. The actress pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Her counsel, Alex Ejesieme, applied for bail, but the court declined and ordered that she be remanded pending the hearing of her formal bail application on January 30.
According to the charge, Angela allegedly conspired with one Ifeoma Mbonu, who is currently at large, to cyberstalk and defame fellow actress Mercy Johnson through posts on Instagram and TikTok.
The police alleged that the offences were committed in 2024 and contravened provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.
Part of the petition written by Mercy Johnson’s lawyer accused Okorie of posting the following statement online:
“Blood sucking demon no see blood suck again, E say na slimming tea. Except there’s no God, MJ go and beg people you chop their destinies and destroyed their hornes else no peace for the wicked!!! Gospel songs won’t save you. Your heart Is Dark!!!”
The petition stated that the publication was intended to cause serious reputational damage and emotional distress. It added that the post was meant to “incite hatred, provoke unrest among the public and further harass and emotionally traumatize our client.”
Prosecuting counsel Victor Okoye asked the court to remand Angela and fix a date for trial. He argued that the administrative bail earlier granted to the actress had lapsed following her arraignment.
Ejesieme told the court that the actress was not given enough time to prepare for her defence, adding that she was served the charge shortly before proceedings began. He also said she was not previously informed about the case before being brought from Lagos to Abuja.
Justice Nwite held that the court could not entertain an oral bail application and ordered both parties to file and exchange all necessary documents within 24 hours. He then ordered that Angela be remanded in Suleja Prison pending the bail hearing.
Angela was arrested on Tuesday by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Cybercrime Centre at her residence in Lagos. She was detained overnight at the Yaba Police Station before being taken to Abuja for arraignment.
The case follows a long running public dispute between Angela and Mercy Johnson, which has played out on social media over the years with several exchanges and allegations.
Neither Angela nor Mercy has issued an official statement since the court proceedings.
