An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court has revoked the bail earlier granted to All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Abimbola Olawumi, following her absence from court in an ongoing case involving alleged cyberbullying and false accusations made on social media.
Olawumi was initially arraigned on July 23 over a four-count charge accusing her of cyberbullying and making false allegations against Yemisi Joluwe through social media platforms. She denied all the charges and was granted bail on self-recognition after an application by her counsel.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, her lawyer, Odunayo Okunade, apologised to the court for her absence, explaining that she was unable to attend because of health challenges. He presented a medical report to support the claim.
However, the police prosecutor, Samson Osobu, rejected the explanation, arguing that the prosecution had not been informed of the medical report. He further alleged that despite claiming to be ill, Olawumi remained active on social media on Monday and Tuesday, where she allegedly continued to harass, threaten and intimidate the complainant and other individuals.
According to the prosecutor, such conduct amounted to a misuse of the bail conditions previously granted by the court. He therefore urged the court to cancel the bail and issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun criticised the defendant for failing to appear before the court despite being granted bail on self-recognition. He stressed that defendants admitted to bail were expected to comply fully with the court’s conditions.
The magistrate consequently revoked Olawumi’s bail, issued a bench warrant for her arrest and adjourned the matter until August 17 for further hearing.