A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the remand of former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Shendam branch in Plateau State, Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen, in the custody of the Department of State Services, following a fresh attempt to arraign him over allegations of cyberstalking and incitement.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Friday after the prosecution brought Tsenyen before the court on a fresh two count charge. The court, however, did not proceed with the arraignment after the lawyer representing the former NBA chairman raised an objection over the legality of the new proceedings.
Tsenyen’s lead counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Emmanuel Esene, told the court that his client had previously been arraigned before the same court over the same allegations. According to the defence, that earlier case had already been adjourned until September 28, 2026, for trial...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
The lawyer argued that allowing another arraignment on the same allegations could expose his client to double jeopardy. He therefore urged the court to reject the fresh charges and prevent the proceedings from going ahead until the status of the earlier case was established.
The prosecution, represented by Muinat Oladunjoye from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said she was not aware of any previous charge against Tsenyen.
Faced with the conflicting claims, Justice Abdulmalik requested a copy of the earlier charge from the defence. Esene produced the document before the court, prompting the judge to request the record of proceedings from the earlier case so that she could determine whether Tsenyen had indeed been previously arraigned over the same allegations.
The defence explained that it could not immediately produce the record because the new charge had come as a surprise to the legal team on August 13.
The judge subsequently fixed August 20 for the production and examination of the record. Until then, Tsenyen was ordered to remain in DSS custody.
The fresh charges were filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo. The allegations relate to a publication allegedly shared on a local community WhatsApp platform in May 2026.
According to the prosecution, Tsenyen allegedly circulated a publication claiming that members of the Ngootuguut community in Shendam, Plateau State, were involved in a plot to eliminate him.
The prosecution alleges that Tsenyen knew the publication was false but circulated it with the intention of causing annoyance, insult, criminal intimidation, hatred, ill will and unnecessary anxiety within the community.
The second allegation concerns the same publication, with the prosecution claiming that it was circulated with the intention of inciting or causing a breach of public peace.
The allegations are being pursued under provisions of Nigeria’s amended Cybercrimes Act and the Penal Code.
Tsenyen, who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau State, has not had his plea taken on the fresh charges because the court first wants to establish whether the allegations are substantially the same as those in the earlier case.
The development means that the next major step in the matter will come on August 20, when the court is expected to examine the record of the previous proceedings and determine whether the fresh arraignment can legally proceed.
For now, the former NBA chairman will remain in DSS custody while the court resolves the dispute surrounding the fresh charges. The case has therefore shifted from an immediate arraignment to a legal battle over whether the prosecution can bring the allegations against him again after an earlier case was already instituted.
The court’s decision on August 20 could determine whether the fresh prosecution moves forward or whether the defence’s double jeopardy argument will prevent the new arraignment from proceeding.
