The arraignment of Thomas Umar, the Gombe State Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, was postponed on Wednesday after the defence team informed the judge that the charges were not yet suitable for arraignment.
Umar, who had been granted bail earlier by the Nigeria Police Force, was arrested over a Facebook post from 2020 in which he criticized Hon. Ali Isa, the Minority Whip of the House of Representatives.
Human rights lawyer Ayuba Rabiu, Esq., who is leading Umar’s defence, explained in a video obtained by SaharaReporters that the prosecution’s case was not ready for arraignment. “The matter was scheduled for arraignment, but the defence pointed out that the charge was not yet ready because, according to Order 5 of the court’s direct practice, the prosecution has seven days from the service of the charge to arraignment,” Ayuba said. “Today marks the sixth day, and tomorrow is the seventh. Therefore, the proceedings could not continue today.”
Ayuba further explained that the charges stemmed from a Facebook post in which Umar accused Hon. Ali Isa of misappropriating funds intended for a constituency project. “The charge against Umar relates to a post where he allegedly breached Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act by making defamatory statements about the lawmaker,” Ayuba said.
He refrained from commenting on the merits of the case at this stage but expressed concerns over the controversial nature of the charge. “Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act has been criticized by many, including Omoyele Sowore, the convener of the Take-It-Back Movement,” Ayuba added.
According to court documents obtained by SaharaReporters, Umar and another individual, Yusuf Bindeka (who is now at large), are accused of conspiring to use a Facebook post to damage the reputation of Ali Isa, calling him “Laborollo” and accusing him of diverting constituency project funds. Another charge claims Umar posted that Isa used religion as a tool for sabotage.
Umar also shared his account of what he described as a traumatic and suspicious series of events leading up to his court appearance. He recounted being abducted in Bauchi State on January 20 this year. “The police tracked my phone, came to my hotel, blindfolded me, and transported me to Gombe without allowing me to take any of my belongings. However, after reviewing the case, senior officers concluded it was not an offense that warranted my detention, and the matter was settled then and there,” he said.
Umar added that the case was unexpectedly reopened after a new Commissioner of Police was appointed in Gombe. “After the new Commissioner of Police was posted, the case was reactivated. They filed the case without contacting me or my lawyers for a response, even though the matter had already been settled,” he explained.
He expressed further concerns about the handling of the case, saying, “I only received communication from the police after the case had already been filed. I suspected foul play when I was asked to come for an interview with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, but I was in Abuja at the time. When I returned, I found that they had arrested my surety—someone who had previously stood for me.”
Umar questioned why the police did not serve the court papers to his lawyers or his surety, considering it was only a matter of court papers. He also expressed concern about the arrest of his surety, given that he had been in communication with the police over the phone.
