Justice Crack Granted ₦5 Million Bail By Court

According to Ireporter Online, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to activist and social media commentator, Justice Chidiebere, widely known as “Justice Crack,” in the sum of ₦5 million.

Delivering ruling on the bail application on Monday, May 18, the court also ordered that the defendant must produce one surety in like sum. The court specified that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15, and must reside within the court’s jurisdiction at a fixed address for at least four years. The surety is further required to provide verifiable proof of residence such as a tenancy agreement or certificate of occupancy, alongside evidence of at least three months’ salary, an affidavit of means, a recent passport photograph, a letter of authentication from the head of department, and proof of pensionable employment. As part of the bail conditions, the defendant was also directed to submit his international passport to the court.

Meanwhile, the prosecution informed the court that it was ready to proceed with trial, calling its first witness, a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, who testified that the defendant was identified during an investigation following his transfer from the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps. The witness alleged that the defendant made a voluntary statement in the presence of his lawyers and that military-supplied images were used in videos later circulated online without verification. He further told the court that digital evidence, including phone data, online videos, and communications with military personnel and other associates, were extracted during forensic analysis, and a certificate of compliance was issued after the process. The defence, however, objected to parts of the evidence, arguing that certain materials had not been properly served or demonstrated in court, though the prosecution described the omission as an oversight. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court admitted the DSS investigation report and several exhibits, including a device and storage drive said to contain extracted data, before adjourning the case to May 25 for continuation of trial.