ABUJA, Nigeria – Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to popular social media commentator and civil rights activist Justice Chidiebere, widely known as “Justice Crack,” in the sum of ₦5 million.
Okay News reports that the ruling was delivered on Monday, May 18, 2026. The Department of State Services (DSS) had previously arraigned the digital activist on severe cybercrime charges, following his transfer to the secret police from the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps.
As part of the stringent bail conditions, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that the bond must be backed by one surety in like sum. The surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 15, with a fixed residential address within the court’s jurisdiction for at least four years, backed by a tenancy agreement or Certificate of Occupancy. Additionally, the surety must provide three months’ salary slips, a letter of authentication from their Head of Department, and an affidavit of means, while the activist must surrender his international passport to the court registry.
During the commencement of the trial, the first prosecution witness, DSS operative Uruntu Douglas, testified that soldiers had been secretly sending operational intelligence imagery to Justice Crack. The activist allegedly converted these images into videos and broadcasted them across his social media platforms without verified military clearance. Douglas further revealed that forensic investigators had extracted a treasure trove of digital evidence from the defendant’s iPhone. This included intercepted logs with active-duty soldiers, digital prints of the uploaded videos, and encrypted chats with an unnamed “godfather” allegedly discussing plans to coordinate widespread civil protests.
Though defense counsel Sam Amadi, SAN, objected to the admissibility of a flash drive containing the extracted phone data—arguing that the prosecution failed to describe or play the files in open court—Justice Abdulmalik admitted the comprehensive DSS investigation report as Exhibit A after the prosecution apologized for an initial oversight in serving the defense team. The court subsequently adjourned the matter until May 25, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination and trial.
