A 19-year-old girl, Miss Charlotte Delhi has been arraigned for allegedly attempting to blackmail a former Permanent Secretary of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, Dr Walton Liverpool.
Miss Charlotte Delhi was arraigned before the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa by the Department of State Security (DSS) over alleged involvement in the sharing of the nude video of Dr Walton Liverpool on the social media with the alleged intention to extort the sum of N15 million.
The DSS, in suit number FHC/YNG/33C/2021, filed a one-count charge against the defendant, alleging that she engaged in cyberstalking with intention of blackmail which is contrary to section 24(2)c and punishable under subparagraph (b) of the cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc) Act, 2015.
The charge read to the defendant said, “That you, charlotte Delhi on the 14th day of September 2021 in Yenagoa within the jurisdiction of this honourable court for the purpose of extorting the sum of N15million from Dr Walton Liverpool, intentionally posted a video showing the naked appearance of the said Dr Walton Liverpool on a WhatsApp group tagged “Off Liverpool” with an Iphone7 plus mobile phone and GSM. No. 08084267342.”
The defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charge and her counsel, Andrew Arthur, applied for her bail from DSS custody where she had been kept for 13 days.
But both counsels to DSS and the state government, Principal Legal Officer of the DSS, Victor Uchendu Esq, and a former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State and counsel to the defendant, A.S. Arthur Esq disagreed on the issue of application of bail but agreed that the trial should be made to enjoy accelerated hearing.
Uchendu argued that the defence counsel had just a few hours before the trial handed him the application for bail process and that the key witness to the case was not in good health condition, seeking the judge’s leave for an adjournment
“I was served the bail application two hours before the court sitting and there was no time for me to study the weighty allegations,” he said.
In his ruling, the Presiding Judge, Justice I. Ndahen, ordered the teenager to be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Yenagoa until October 21 to hear the bail application.
KanyiDaily had also reported how the police arrested a 19-year-old man for blackmailing popular artiste, Queen Salawa Abeni, with her nude photos.