Justice Dimas Gwama of the Magistrates’ Court IV in Yola, Adamawa State sentenced a youth, Ikamu Hamidu Kato, to two years’ imprisonment for insulting president Muhammadu Buhari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
The court sentenced Kato to a one-year jail term in each of the offences with an option of N25,000 fine on each offence.
News report had earlier Monday reported that Kato was remanded in prison for insulting Buhari and Mustapha on social media.
Kato, a youth leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the Hong area of the state, allegedly took to his Facebook page to condemn the insecurity in the area following recent attacks by armed men suspected to be Boko Haram members.
He was alleged to have insulted Buhari and Mustapha in a viral video on his Facebook page.
The presiding judge said in passing the sentence, the court had considered the remorseful mien of the convict and his plea for mercies.
But Gwama said despite his show of remorse and plea for mercies, the court had to convict him to serve as deterrent to others.
Earlier, the convict pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy by convicting him with an option of fine because he was a family man and had orphans under him.
He was later invited, investigated and arraigned before the court by the Department of State Security (DSS).
Upon his arraignment before the court on Friday last week, the convict pleaded guilty when the charge sheet was read and explained to him.
The court then adjourned the matter to Monday, August 2, 2021 to enable the complainant call witnesses and tender exhibits in order to corroborate the plea of the defendant following an application by counsel to the complainant, M.A. Adamu.
During court sitting on Monday, the counsel assembled two witnesses including the DSS operative, Zayyanu Adamu and the Chairman, Adamawa State Concern Citizens, Husseini Gambo Nakura, who testified and tendered confessional statement of the defendant in a flash drive.
To show its disapproval of his action, the Hong local government chapter of the PDP has suspended the youth leader, saying it would not allow such level of indiscipline by its members even against leaders of the opposition political parties.
The Chief Magistrate, Gwama, who took the plea of the accused, had ordered him to be remanded in prison till August 2.
