The Magistrate Court in Wuse, Abuja, has granted bail to Ameerah Safiyanu, a Twitter user who raised a false kidnap alarm weeks back.
Newsbreak recalls that Ameerah was charged by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command for false kidnap alarm.
Ameerah had claimed that she and 16 other residents of Abuja were kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to a forest.
On June 14, Ameerah alleged that the victims, including three pregnant women and two children, were abducted by men in police uniforms.
Ameerah was arraigned on Wednesday (today) on the sole charge of misleading the police pursuant to section 140 of the penal code.
James Idachaba, the police prosecutor, tendered a medical report indicating that Sufyan was mentally ill when she gave the false information.
Idachaba prayed the court to give the defendant a non-custodial sentence under section 44 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. He also prayed that she should be placed under the supervision of the police counselling unit, for a regular review of her mental state.
Chinyere Moneme, the defendant’s counsel, did not oppose the submissions of the prosecution.
In his judgment, Chukwuemeka Nweke, the presiding magistrate, ordered that the defendant should be released conditionally to a probation officer.
She is to undergo psychiatric care for the next 12 months.
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