Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An Ekiti State Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, July 23, 2026, granted bail to a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Abimbola Olajumoke Olawumi, who was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on alleged blackmail, cyberbullying, and false accusations. Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun admitted Olawumi to bail on self-recognition, citing her status as a senior citizen, and adjourned the matter until July 28, 2026, for further hearing.
Olawumi was arraigned following a petition filed by the Chief Executive Officer of YSJ Farms, Mrs. Yemisi Samuel Joluwe, who accused the aspirant of cyberstalking, issuing death threats, and making false accusations on social media. The Police Legal Officer, Samson Osobu, told the court that Olawumi, sometime in March 2026, knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication on social media platforms, including Facebook and TikTok, without authority, posting the photographs and addresses of Joluwe, Mr. Adeleke Ajibade, and Mrs. Okewale Olayemi alongside threatening messages. She was also accused of falsely alleging that Joluwe had embezzled Ekiti State Government funds without justification. The offences are said to contravene Sections 398 and 106 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
Olawumi pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to her. Her counsel, Mr. Odunayo Okunade, urged the court to exercise its discretion in favour of his client, describing the charges as bailable offences. He noted that Olawumi is a senior citizen and a former governorship aspirant in the state, and assured the court that she would not jump bail. The police prosecutor did not oppose the bail application. In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Adeosun granted Olawumi bail on self-recognition.
Speaking to journalists after the court session, Olawumi alleged that she was "abducted" on Wednesday, July 22, while on her way from the Federal Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court in Abuja, where she is challenging her disqualification from the APC primary. She claimed that men of the Rapid Response Squad from the Ekiti State Police Command intercepted her vehicle, bundled her into theirs, and transported her to Ado-Ekiti, arriving around 10 p.m. She accused the state government of victimising her and her family, and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene. "I'm appealing to Nigerians and to everyone, even to President Bola Tinubu, that they should please have mercy and save me from the government of Ekiti State which has been intimidating and harassing my family and me," she said.
The Ekiti State Government has, however, distanced itself from the arrest and prosecution. In a statement, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Dayo Apata, SAN, clarified that the government neither ordered Olawumi’s arrest nor directed her prosecution, insisting that law enforcement agencies operate independently. “Ekiti State Government under the current democratic dispensation obeys the rule of law and respects the personal liberty and freedom of all citizens. The law enforcement agencies carry out their duties separately without any control from the State Government,” the statement read. The government advised the public and the media to ignore false stories linking the state to the arrest.
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