A businesswoman, Bukola Jolapamo, who allegedly conspired with a man to extort money from her husband through cyberstalking, on Thursday appeared before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.
Cyberstalking is the repeated use of electronic communications to harass or frighten someone, including sending threatening emails.
The police arraigned Jolapamo, 30, along with Adewale Olubodi (40) on a four-count charge of conspiracy, cyberstalking, extortion and threat to life.
The accused, whose addresses were not provided, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecutor, Insp. Peter Nwangwu, told the court that the accused committed the offences with some other persons still at large between Oct. 4, 2018, and Dec. 16, 2018, at Ikoyi, Lagos.
Nwangwu said that the duo colluded with the others and harrassed Chief Isaac Jolapamo, demanding for property.
Nwangwu added that the duo had been extorting money from the complainant, Chief Jolapamo.
“On Oct. 10, 2018, at 11.20 a.m. at Ikoyi, Bukola sent an SMS to the complainant, threatening that she was in his office with a bottle of sniper poison, threatening to drink it and kill herself,” Nwangwu said.
He added that on Dec. 12, 2018, between 6.45p.m. and 9.24 p.m. the accused were communicating with the complainant via WhatsApp messages through phone numbers – 08085959787 and 08056457009 – in a manner that could cause him unrest and ill-health.
According to the prosecutor, the offences contravenes Sections 56, 302 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised) and Section 24 (1), (a) and (b) of the Cybercrime Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015.
Chief Magistrate Y.O. Aje-Afunwa granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties each in like sum.
Aje-Afunwa ordered that the sureties should show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The case was adjourned until March 7. (NAN)