The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has withdrawn the cybercrime charges filed against a final-year student of Bayero University, Kano, Maryam Isah Shehu, and another Nigerian, Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad.
The two defendants were separately arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday over allegations of cyberstalking and disseminating malicious information against the anti-graft agency.
The EFCC had accused Shehu of publishing a social media post on June 21 alleging that its officials assaulted one Ahmed Uthman on the instruction of a zonal director who allegedly collected N20 million from one Usman Abbas.
According to the commission, the publication was intended to damage its reputation and constituted an offence under Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024.
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Abdulhamad was also charged under the same provision over a separate allegation.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them.
However, in a statement issued on Friday, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the commission’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, had directed that the charges be withdrawn following appeals for leniency and an apology from Shehu’s father, as well as pleas from other Nigerians.
Oyewale said although the commission considered the alleged conduct a violation of the Cybercrimes Act, Olukoyede was moved by the appeals and apologies made on behalf of the defendants.
The statement partly read, “The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede has compassionately ordered the withdrawal of charges preferred against Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad, who were, on Thursday, August 21, 2026, arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged cybercrime and peddling malicious information against the Commission.
“While the Commission considered the arraignment of the two defendants for cyberstalking to be contrary to Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015 (as amended) 2024 and punishable under Section 24(2)(c)(ii) of the same Act, the Executive Chairman, nonetheless, considered the passionate pleas and apologies of Shehu’s father and appeals of well-meaning Nigerians for leniency.
“To this end, he has directed that charges filed against the two young Nigerians be dropped and warned that the EFCC would no longer tolerate any wilful attack on its image in any form, medium or platform.”
The commission said Olukoyede also assured Nigerians that the EFCC would continue to discharge its mandate in the interest of the country.
