A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Isaac Bristol Tamunobifiri, an alleged whistleblower and online publisher, accused of illegally accessing and publishing classified federal government documents.
Presiding over the case, Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday ruled that the defendant must provide a bail sum of N5 million along with one surety of the same amount. The surety is required to be a resident of Abuja, provide evidence of three years of tax clearance, and submit an affidavit of means, along with two passport-sized photographs. Additionally, the court ordered Tamunobifiri to surrender his international passport.
Tamunobifiri, who was arraigned on September 3, faces nine charges, including unlawfully obtaining and distributing classified government documents in violation of the Official Secrets Act. He is also accused of destroying evidence and breaching money laundering and cybercrime laws, with alleged transactions totaling N970,000.
Police counsel Simon Lough (SAN) claimed that Tamunobifiri, through his online platform PIDOMNigeria and his X handle ‘99% Oppressed,’ shared documents accusing President Bola Tinubu of releasing N24.1 billion to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) through Vice President Kashim Shettima’s office. Tamunobifiri allegedly further claimed that the amount was later increased to N90 billion. He is also accused of mobilizing support for the #EndBadGovernance protests to pressure the government.
Tamunobifiri has denied the allegations and entered a plea of not guilty. His defense counsel, Deji Adeyanju, applied for bail on the grounds that his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that the severity of the charges made bail inappropriate.
The case has been adjourned until November 5 for trial.
