Court remands whistleblower PIDOM in Kuje prison

Justice Emeka Nwite, presiding over a Federal High Court in Abuja, has ordered the remand of Isaac Bristol Tamunobifiri, also known as PIDOM, at the Kuje correctional facility.

The Inspector General of Police filed a nine-count charge against PIDOM on Tuesday, accusing him of crimes like money laundering, cybercrime, and the illegal handling of classified information.

As previously reported by Persecondnews, PIDOM was taken into custody on August 5, 2024, in his hotel room in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, later confirmed the arrest in a statement on August 24.

According to Adejobi, PIDOM’s arrest was made in connection with alleged serious offences that compromised the integrity of government operations.

The arrest has sparked widespread concern among the Nigerian online community, prompting a viral social media campaign on X.com, with users employing hashtags such as #FreePIDOM, #PIDOM, and #WhereisPIDOM.

PIDOM, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against him.

Following the defendant’s plea, his lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, requested bail, but the prosecution’s counsel opposed the motion.

Following arguments from both sides, Justice Nwite deferred his decision on the defendant’s bail application until September 23, ordering the defendant’s temporary remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in the meantime.

In a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/456/2024, PIDOM was accused of mobilising and soliciting support to unduly compel the government to act or abstain from certain acts through the #EndBadGovernance protest, false money-laundering allegations against President Bola Tinubu, and unlawfully obtaining, retaining, and disseminating classified secret documents in contravention of the official Secret Act 1962.

The police asserted in the money laundering charges against him that the funds PIDOM received came from illegal activities.

The ninth count alleges that PIDOM tampered with evidence by intentionally destroying his Techno Phantom X phone, attempting to dispose of it by flushing it down the hotel’s water system, where he was apprehended.