Pat Stevens/
Nollywood actress, Angela Okorie, has been remanded in custody at the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State after appearing before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, on allegations of cyberstalking and criminal defamation.
Okorie was arrested at her Lagos residence on Tuesday, by operatives from the Nigeria Police Force Cybercrime Centre following a petition filed by the legal team of fellow actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie.
After her arrest, she was initially held overnight at the Yaba Police Station (Panti) in Lagos because a flight to Abuja was not immediately available.
Early the next morning, she was flown to the Federal Capital Territory to face court proceedings.
At the Federal High Court in Abuja, Okorie was arraigned on a three-count charge alleging that she conspired with another person, identified as Ifeoma Mbonu (currently at large), to publish defamatory and malicious online content about Mercy Johnson on social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok.
The prosecution, representing the Nigeria Police Force, said the alleged posts were made in 2024 and violated provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015.
Part of the complaint included claims that Okorie described Johnson in derogatory terms and made statements intended to damage her reputation and cause emotional distress.
Okorie pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Her lawyer, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), applied for bail, arguing that she had not been given adequate time to prepare her defence and was only served the charge shortly before court proceedings began.
Justice Emeka Nwite refused the oral bail application and ordered that Okorie remain in custody at Suleja Correctional Centre until a formal bail hearing scheduled for January 30.
The judge also directed both prosecution and defence to file necessary legal documents ahead of that hearing.
Neither Okorie nor Mercy Johnson has issued an official public statement about the court proceedings at the time of publication.
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