DSS Drags 19-Year Old Girl To Court Over Cyber Stalking

The Department of State Security (DSS) has dragged a 19-year old girl, Miss Charlotte Delhi, before the Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa over alleged involvement in the sharing of the nude video of a former Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Education, Dr. Walton Liverpool, on the social media.
The Tide learnt that the intent was to extort N15 million from the former Permanent Secretary. 
The DSS, in  suit number FHC/YNG/33C/2021, filed a one-count charge against the defendant, alleging that she engaged in cyber stalking with intention to blackmail, contrary to section 24 (2)c and punishable under subparagraph (b) of the cybercrime (prohibition , prevention etc) Act, 2015.
 ”That you, Charlotte Delhi on the 14th day of September, 2021 in Yenagoa committed the offence within the jurisdiction of this honorable court for the purpose of extorting the sum of N15 million from Dr. Walton Liverpool”, the charge read.
The charge further revealed that the suspect intentionally posted a video showing the naked appearance of the victim on a WhatsApp group tagged “Off Liverpool” with a Iphone7 plus mobile phone and GSM. No. 08084267342″.
Miss Delhi, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Both the prosecution and defence counsels disagreed on the issue of application of bail but agreed that the trial should be made to enjoy accelerated hearing.
Though the prosecution counsel and Principal Legal Officer of the DSS, Barr. Victor Uchendu, admitted that the defence counsel handed him the application for bail process, he said the key witness to the case was not in good health condition and therefore, sought for 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.
 On his part, the defense counsel, a former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, Barr. A.S. Arthur, argued that the defence team would have loved the presiding judge to hear the application for bail based on the age and gender of the defendant, claiming that the defendant has been in detention for over 13 days and that the DSS has denied her access to her lawyers.
The presiding judge, Justice Isa Dashen, however, adjourned the case to Thursday, October 21, 2021 for hearing.
The court also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the State Correctional Centre in Okaka.
The Tide, however, gathered that the claim by the defendant that she is 17 years old is false as her birth certificate shows that she was born on October 10, 2002 which makes her 19 years old against her claim of 17 years.

By: King Onunwor