The National Coordinator of Youth Frontier of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr Austin Okai, was on Tuesday arraigned before a Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court for inciting disturbance, criminal defamation.
He was also charged with causing disappearance of evidence and sedition, contrary to sections 104, 392, 416 and 167 of the Penal Code law.
The Police First Information Report, the accused the defendant of making some online publications that were false and blackmailed the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and members of his cabinet.
Besides, it also alleged that Okai was responsible for false publication labelling the governor a disaster and a pain to the state.
The FIR also alleged that the accused, in collaboration with some “criminal elements” in the state, recruited some like minded youths and planned to burn down the state revenue house during the one year anniversary of the administration before it was later aborted.
However, when the case was mentioned, counsel to the accused, Williams Aliwo, applied for bail for Okai in line with the provisions of sections 36 (5) and 35 (4) of the 1999 constitution as amended and section 34 (2) and (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
But the prosecution counsel, Gabriel Otowu, opposed the application, arguing that the court lacked power to try the offence of sedition.
According to him, the offences brought against the accused were serious, saying the accused might run away in the course of the investigation if granted bail.
In his ruling, the trial judge, Chief Magistrate Levi Animoku, said the offences contained in the penal code are triable by the court except the offence of sedition which is in section 416 of the penal code, which is within the jurisdiction of the High Court.
He however dismissed the application for bail, saying that because of the interest of the state and the public in the matter, he had to be cautious to enable the prosecution conclude investigation.
Animoku therefore ordered that the accused be taken into police custody and adjourned the case till Thursday, April 13, 2017.