Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad pleaded not guilty to separate allegations involving social media posts targeting the anti-graft agency

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, August 20, 2026, remanded Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad in separate correctional facilities after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused them of cybercrime and publishing material intended to damage the agency’s reputation.

Also read: How two men sold bank credentials for $15,000, EFCC reveals

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered Shehu to be held at the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State and Abdulhamad at the Kuje Correctional Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after both defendants pleaded not guilty to their respective charges.

The cases, which centre on social media publications, were brought before the court by the EFCC, with the agency alleging that the defendants deliberately circulated information and material capable of tarnishing its image.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said Shehu was arraigned on an amended one-count charge concerning an Instagram publication that the commission said amounted to cybercrime and wilful character assassination.

According to the charge, Shehu allegedly published a message on June 21, 2026, through her Instagram account, @maryamshehu, claiming that EFCC officials had assaulted a man identified as Ahmed Uthman.

The prosecution alleged that the publication further claimed the alleged assault occurred on the instruction of a zonal director who had purportedly collected N20 million from a person identified as Usman Iya Abbas.

The EFCC said the publication was intended to tarnish the commission’s reputation and constituted an offence under Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015, as amended in 2024.

Abdulhamad faces a separate allegation arising from a publication on X, formerly Twitter.

The EFCC alleged that in May 2026, Abdulhamad used his account, @shuraimi, to publish an image fabricated to resemble an official EFCC arrest placard.

The alleged image depicted a man identified as Sadeeq Kabeer as a suspect arrested by the commission and carried the inscription that his “only crime was selling laptops at affordable price to student”.

The prosecution said the image was intended to create a false impression about an EFCC arrest and damage the commission’s reputation.

Abdulhamad was consequently charged under the same cybercrime provision cited in Shehu’s case.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

Following the pleas, prosecution counsel Elizabeth Alabi asked the court to fix a date for trial and sought an order remanding Shehu in the Suleja Correctional Centre.

Shehu’s lawyer, C.O. Amalaha, informed the court that a bail application had been filed and asked Justice Abdulmalik to admit the defendant to bail on liberal terms.

Counsel to Abdulhamad, Adamu K. Adamu, also informed the court of a bail application but asked that his client be kept in EFCC custody.

Justice Abdulmalik instead ordered that the two defendants be held in the designated correctional facilities pending further proceedings.

The judge adjourned the cases until August 31, 2026, for hearing of the defendants’ bail applications and commencement of trial.

The remand orders do not amount to a finding of guilt. Both defendants remain presumed innocent unless the prosecution establishes the allegations against them beyond reasonable doubt.

The proceedings highlight the increasingly contested space between social media expression and Nigeria’s cybercrime laws, particularly where allegations are made against law enforcement and other public institutions.

The Cybercrimes Act has undergone significant changes since its original enactment in 2015, including amendments signed into law in February 2024.

The amended legislation retained offences relating to certain online communications while introducing wider changes to Nigeria’s cybercrime framework.

The law has also attracted scrutiny from rights organisations and legal practitioners over the potential effect of cybercrime provisions on freedom of expression and legitimate criticism.

In July 2024, the United Nations human rights office said Nigeria’s revised Cybercrimes Act contained provisions that could have implications for freedom of expression and urged authorities to ensure its application complied with international human rights standards.

For the EFCC, however, the present cases are framed around allegations of deliberate fabrication and reputational harm rather than ordinary criticism of the commission.

Oyewale said the arraignment reflected the agency’s position that alleged blackmailers, fabricators and individuals who deliberately seek to damage its image should face legal scrutiny.

The commission has increasingly used digital investigations as part of its broader fight against internet-enabled financial crimes, while also defending its institutional reputation against allegations circulated online.

The cases will now move into the next stage on August 31, when the court is expected to hear the defendants’ applications for bail and begin consideration of the substantive charges.

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Until then, the allegations remain contested, with the prosecution required to prove its case and the defendants entitled to mount their respective defences.