Court Orders Arrest Of Blogger Over Fake ‘Assassination Attempt’ On Judge

According to Ireporter Online, the Federal High Court in Abuja has requested the arrest and investigation of a blogger who published a false report claiming that Justice James Omotosho narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. The fabricated story, which circulated widely on Facebook, alleged that the judge was attacked on Saturday, just two days after sentencing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.

The Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Sulaiman Hassan, issued a statement on Sunday dismissing the publication as entirely untrue. He emphasized that the report—released by a self-acclaimed celebrity blogger—was designed to mislead the public. Hassan urged Nigerians to ignore the claim and refrain from sharing it to prevent further spread of misinformation.

He stressed that such a report could cause public panic and erode trust in the judiciary, noting that it might have been intended to intimidate the court. The Federal High Court called on security agencies and relevant regulatory bodies to launch a comprehensive investigation to identify and prosecute those behind the falsehood under laws addressing cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.

Justice Omotosho had, days earlier, convicted Kanu on terrorism-related charges and imposed a life sentence, opting against the death penalty based on personal religious values. The court also directed that Kanu be kept in protective custody outside Kuje Correctional Centre, forfeited certain materials—such as the radio transmitter—to the Federal Government, and restricted his digital access pending security monitoring.

Following the judgement, Kanu was transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.