The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Gabriel-Nkup Tsenyen, former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Shendam Branch in Plateau State, over alleged cyberstalking and incitement-related offences.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered that Tsenyen be kept in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after proceedings commenced on Friday.
The court adjourned the matter until August 20 to determine whether the fresh trial against the former NBA branch chairman should proceed.
Defence Raises Double Jeopardy Concern
The remand order followed an application by DSS counsel, Muinat Oladunjoye, requesting that Tsenyen be arraigned before the court.
However, when the former NBA chairman was called to enter his plea, his lawyer, Emmanuel Esene, SAN, objected to the process.
Esene told the court that his client had previously been arraigned before the same Federal High Court on the same allegations and that the earlier case had already been scheduled for trial on September 28.
The defence counsel argued that allowing another arraignment could amount to double jeopardy.
He urged the court to consider the previous proceedings before taking further action.
Prosecution Says It Was Unaware of Earlier Case
DSS counsel Oladunjoye, who represented the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said the prosecution was not aware of any previous charge involving the same allegations.
Following the disagreement, Justice Abdulmalik requested a copy of the earlier charge filed against Tsenyen.
The document was presented by the defence team for the court’s record.
The judge also requested the proceedings from the earlier case but the defence said the documents were not immediately available because the new charge came as a surprise on August 13.
Court Seeks Earlier Trial Records
To establish whether the former NBA chairman had previously faced the same charges, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that records of the earlier proceedings be produced before the court on August 20.
The case was filed as Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/464/2026 by Rotimi Oyedepo, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation.
Allegations Against Former NBA Chairman
According to the prosecution, Tsenyen allegedly made a publication in May 2026 through the Ngootuguut Local Community WhatsApp platform.
The prosecution alleged that the message claimed the entire Ngootuguut community was involved in a plan to harm him.
It further alleged that Tsenyen knew the publication was false but shared it with the intention of creating hostility, hatred and unnecessary anxiety within the community.
The alleged offence was said to fall under Section 24(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.
The court is expected to consider the earlier proceedings and determine the appropriate legal direction when the matter returns on August 20.
