- Court reserves ruling on actress’s bail software until November 6; defence counsel faults prosecution
Wale Igbintade
Nollywood actress, Doris Ogala, yesterday knelt earlier than a Federal High Court in Lagos to apologise for her unruly conduct throughout an earlier sitting however was returned to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre after the courtroom reserved ruling on her bail software until November 6, 2026.
Ogala, who’s dealing with costs bordering on alleged cyberstalking, cyberbullying and tried extortion involving Pastor Chris Okafor, expressed regret earlier than Justice Akintayo Aluko, promising to not repeat the conduct that disrupted proceedings on Wednesday.
Her apology got here as her counsel, Marshal Abubakar, introduced plans to petition the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, searching for the withdrawal of the costs, which he described as arising from a non-public disagreement between former lovers.
During Friday’s proceedings, Ogala personally appealed to Justice Aluko for forgiveness, expressing remorse over her behaviour on the earlier sitting.
“I am very sorry, my Lord. I apologise for my bad behaviour. I have never been to prison before and I wasn’t expecting that I would do that,” she advised the courtroom.
She added: “I regret my action and I apologise to my Lord. I tender my apologies wholeheartedly. Sorry, this will never happen again going forward.”
Her apology adopted the choose’s expression of displeasure over the incident, throughout which the actress allegedly shouted and sang in the courtroom, forcing the courtroom to droop proceedings.
Justice Aluko mentioned her conduct prevented the courtroom from listening to greater than seven different circumstances scheduled for that day.
The choose disclosed that he had thought of committing her for contempt however finally determined towards it, regardless of believing that her conduct warranted punishment.
“She should have been given some form of imprisonment, right, on that day, but I kept my cool and I rose,” the choose mentioned.
He additional noticed that the actress may have confronted at the very least two months’ imprisonment for obstructing courtroom proceedings.
Justice Aluko additionally faulted the defence counsel for failing to acknowledge the incident and clarify his consumer’s conduct earlier than continuing with arguments on the bail software.
He recalled that he had personally directed an accelerated listening to of the applying, taking steps to make sure that it was heard inside 48 hours.
The choose expressed disappointment that the disruption occurred regardless of the courtroom’s efforts to expedite the dedication of the bail software.
Abubakar additionally apologised to the choose, describing the incident as regrettable and assuring the courtroom that such behaviour was inconsistent along with his consumer’s character.
Following the apologies, the courtroom proceeded to listen to arguments on the bail software.
Moving the applying, Abubakar urged the courtroom to confess Ogala to bail, arguing that the prosecution had successfully acknowledged her entitlement to bail by proposing situations for her launch in its counter-affidavit.
He submitted that the prosecution’s place indicated that it was not against her launch however was involved in regards to the situations to be imposed.
The lawyer urged the courtroom to train its discretion judicially and impose affordable situations that might not unnecessarily prohibit the actress’s liberty pending trial.
However, prosecution counsel, Tolulope Mokolu, urged the courtroom to impose stringent bail situations, citing considerations in regards to the defendant’s social media actions and their potential influence on witnesses.
Mokolu argued that Ogala’s continued use of social media may affect witnesses and intervene with the administration of justice.
Although acknowledging her constitutional proper to freedom of speech and expression, the prosecution maintained that such rights weren’t absolute and have to be exercised inside the limits of the regulation.
It urged the courtroom to limit her contact with witnesses and entry to their addresses, in addition to stop her from making social media publications able to influencing witnesses or undermining the proceedings.
The prosecution additional argued that any breach of the proposed bail situations ought to entice applicable sanctions.
After listening to the submissions of each events, Justice Aluko reserved ruling on the bail software until November 6, 2026.
Ogala was subsequently returned to the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the courtroom’s determination.
Speaking after the proceedings, Abubakar faulted the prosecution of his consumer, arguing that her arrest, investigation and subsequent arraignment constituted an infringement of her elementary rights, notably her constitutionally assured proper to freedom of expression.
He insisted that the dispute shouldn’t have been introduced earlier than a legal courtroom, sustaining that allegations of defamation ought to ordinarily be addressed via civil proceedings.
The lawyer argued that the disagreement arose from a non-public relationship between Ogala and Pastor Okafor, whom he described as former lovers.
He mentioned: “I strongly imagine that the arrest of Doris Ogala, the investigation so far as this matter is anxious, and the next submitting of costs towards her are an affront to her elementary rights.
“The subject matter that led to this entire transaction in this matter was purely a matter between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. Where former lovers who fell apart, and one of the lovers felt cheated, and she reacted through the platform that she has.”
Abubakar argued that the state shouldn’t ordinarily intervene in non-public disagreements by deploying legal regulation towards people expressing their grievances.
According to him, democracy accommodates dissent and criticism, together with expressions which may be thought of offensive or vulgar.
“The idea of criminalising free speech in this country has been contemptuous. We will never shy away from condemning the idea behind having a law that seeks to, or has, a chilling effect on Nigerians as it relates to how they should express themselves in a democracy,” he mentioned.
The defence counsel additionally referred to as for the elimination of provisions of the Cybercrimes Act which, based on him, criminalise freedom of expression.
He recalled that authorized challenges have been instituted towards provisions of the Cybercrimes Act 2015, notably Section 24, in 2022.
He mentioned two separate judgments had declared the provisions unconstitutional on grounds that they violated the suitable to freedom of expression and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He alleged that regardless of the National Assembly’s subsequent modification of the Act in 2024 to handle considerations surrounding the criminalisation of free speech, safety companies had continued to use the regulation with out adequately reflecting the amendments.
Abubakar maintained that anybody who thought of himself defamed ought to institute a civil motion fairly than resort to regulation enforcement companies to arrest and prosecute critics.
He mentioned he would formally petition the AGF to discontinue the prosecution, insisting that the costs ought to not have been filed in the primary place.
Ogala was arraigned on Wednesday by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation on three counts bordering on alleged cyberbullying, cyberstalking and tried extortion involving Pastor Okafor.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences have been dedicated between September 2024 and March 2026.
Mokolu advised the courtroom that Ogala allegedly printed nude and intimate images of Okafor on her social media accounts with out his consent, exposing him to embarrassment, emotional misery and reputational injury.
The actress, nonetheless, pleaded not responsible to the costs.
