The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to 109 alleged foreign hackers accused of attempting to defraud Nigerians, setting the bail at a total of N1 billion.
Trial Justice Ekerete Akpan ordered the defendants, who were previously remanded in prison custody, to produce five sureties, each required to provide a sum of N200million.
The court specified that the sureties must not only submit affidavits of means but also own properties within the Abuja metropolitan area valued at no less than N200 million.
Title deeds of the property must be submitted to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the high court, who will verify the residential addresses of all sureties.
Additionally, the court ordered all defendants to surrender their international passports and prohibited them from travelling outside the country until the conclusion of their trial. It instructed both the defendants and their sureties to submit two recent passport photographs, emphasizing that the defendants must remain in custody pending the fulfilment of all bail conditions. While the male defendants are to be held at Kuje prison, the court ruled that the female defendants should be detained at Keffi prison in Nasarawa State. The case has been adjourned until February 27, 2025, for trial.
The defendants, identified as citizens of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Malaysia, and Myanmar, face a six-count charge filed against them by the Cybercrime Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
Through their legal team, led by Dr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, and Eric Oba, the defendants, requested to be released on bail pending the hearing and determination of the charges against them. They expressed their readiness to stand trial and assured the court that they would not flee the country.
Prosecution counsel, Mr. A. A. Egwu stated that he would leave the decision to grant bail to the court’s discretion but urged the court to impose conditions that would ensure the defendants’ attendance at their trial.
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