Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, May 18, granted bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety in like sum to social critic, Justice Chidebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, who is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to a viral video concerning the feeding of Nigerian soldiers.
Proceedings on the bail application had earlier been stalled last Thursday following disagreements between two lawyers who both claimed to have been engaged to represent the defendant.
At Monday’s sitting, Justice Abdulmalik granted the defendant bail after the Federal Government opened its case by calling its first witness, Uruntu Douglas, an operative of the DSS.
While testifying before the court, Douglas stated that he obtained the extrajudicial statement of the defendant after he was transferred to DSS custody by the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps.
The witness told the court that Justice Crack made his statement voluntarily and that data extracted from his phone included photographs allegedly sent to him by soldiers who complained about their welfare. According to the witness, the defendant subsequently shared the materials on his Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok accounts.
Pages from the social media accounts were tendered before the court and admitted as exhibits.
Counsel to the defendant, however, objected to the tendering of a flash drive and the defendant’s mobile phone, arguing that the defence team had not been furnished with the contents of the devices.
The DSS, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/253/2026, accused Justice Crack of alleged cybercrime offences connected to a viral video relating to the Nigerian Army.
The prosecution alleged that the defendant circulated false information and published materials capable of causing public unrest through his X handle, @JusticeCrack, where he reportedly claimed that Nigerian soldiers were poorly fed.
At the previous hearing, a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice informed the court that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had taken over the prosecution from the DSS in line with relevant provisions of the law.