Human Rights
Magistrate Court Remands Ex-APC Gov Aspirant Over Alleged Cyberbullying Against YSJ Farms Boss
By Joseph Sunday
An Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court has remanded a former APC governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Abimbola Olawumi, at the Ekiti Correctional Centre till September 17, 2026, over allegations of cyberbullying and threat to life.
The case was instituted by the Chief Executive Officer of YSJ Agro-Allied Limited, Mrs. Yemisi Joluwe.
The court had earlier granted the defendant bail, but later revoked it after she failed to appear at the next adjourned date. Her absence led to her re-arrest and subsequent arraignment.
In his submission, counsel to the defendant, Ayokunle Odunayo Okunade, argued that the charges were bailable and that the court had the power to grant bail, adding that the charges should not be used to punish the defendant.
However, the prosecuting police officer, Samson Osobu, urged the court to consider the gravity of the offence. He argued that under Section 14 of the Cybercrimes Act, as amended in 2024, only the Federal High Court has jurisdiction to grant bail in such matters.
“The court has the power not to jail the defendant but to keep her safely in the correctional centre so that she won’t be able to jump bail,” Osobu said.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Ekiti Correctional Centre and adjourned the case till September 17 for further hearing.
In a telephone interview, the CEO of YSJ Agro-Allied Limited, Mrs. Yemisi Joluwe, said she approached the court to seek justice over alleged damage to her reputation and harm caused to her staff.
“At YSJ Farms, we have always welcomed constructive feedback and public scrutiny, as they help us grow and serve our community better. However, there is a clear distinction between a genuine complaint and a deliberate, malicious attempt to destroy a company’s hard-earned reputation,” she said.
“We filed this petition because the statements made by Abimbola Olawumi were not only blatantly false, but were specifically engineered to damage our corporate integrity. We have a duty to our investors, our employees and our customers to fiercely protect the YSJ brand from baseless slander.”
She added: “When false narratives are heavily amplified, it forces us to spend valuable time reassuring our stakeholders and partners. This lawsuit is actually a reassurance to those partners. It sends a strong message that our foundation is solid, our operations are transparent, and we will not allow anyone to compromise the trust we have built in the agricultural sector over the years, including our impact on youth empowerment in Ekiti State.”
