Court grants Nollywood actress N5m bail over alleged cyberbullying of Mercy Johnson

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted Nollywood actress Angela Okorie bail in the sum of N5 million with one surety, following allegations of cyberbullying against fellow actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the bail while ruling on an application filed by Okorie’s counsel, Earnest Nwoye, despite opposition from the prosecution. The judge held that the prosecution failed to place sufficient material before the court to establish that the defendant would abscond if released on bail.

“Therefore, I am minded to grant the bail in the interest of justice,” Justice Nwite said, noting that the grant of bail remains at the discretion of the court, which must be exercised judicially and judiciously.

The court ordered that Okorie be released on a N5 million bail with one surety in like sum. The surety, the judge said, must be a level 13 civil servant who is required to depose to an affidavit of means and submit an appointment letter as well as a letter of last promotion.

Justice Nwite further directed that both the defendant and her surety submit two passport photographs each to the court registrar, adding that the residence of the surety must be verified.

The judge adjourned the matter until March 23 for trial but ordered that Okorie be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre pending the perfection of her bail conditions.

Earlier, Okorie was re-arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on cyberstalking and criminal defamation, allegedly committed between 2024 and 2025, in violation of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015.

She pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to her, prompting the police lawyer, Victor Okoye, to request a trial date to enable the prosecution call witnesses to establish its case.

While not opposing the request for a trial date, Nwoye informed the court of a bail application filed on Jan. 29 and served on the prosecution. He urged the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the defendant, stating that she was willing to make herself available for trial.

“She is a known Nigerian who has no place to hide. Therefore, we urge my lord to exercise the discretion in her favour,” he said.

Okoye opposed the bail application, informing the court that a 29-paragraph counter-affidavit dated Jan. 30 and deposed to by ASP Ahmad Umar had been filed, with four exhibits attached. He described the application as “unmeritorious.”

“I agree that the court has discretion but it must be exercised judicially and judiciously,” he said.

According to the prosecutor, Okorie had earlier been granted administrative bail but absconded.

“Neither the defendant nor the surety presented themselves when she absconded,” he said, arguing that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) permits courts to refuse bail where there is evidence that a defendant may jump bail.

He also noted that some of the offences carry sentences ranging from three to 10 years and urged the court to refuse the application.

In response, Nwoye asked the court to discountenance what he described as “the misinformation by the prosecution.”

“The law is, the court is bound by his record and that record are Exhibits NPF1 and NPF4 which are documents showing communication between the defendant and prosecutor,” he said.

He explained that Okorie had travelled for medical examination and re-evaluation and had communicated this to the police through a letter, adding that medical evidence of her ailment was attached.

On the allegation that the surety failed to present himself, the lawyer said the surety had spoken with the prosecutor, an interaction he said formed part of the court record in Exhibit NPF4.

“Opposition to bail the way the prosecution is going, in line with Section 36(6b) of the constitution, will amount to persecution my lord.
“In the instant case, the defendant is to be prosecuted and not to be persecuted,” he submitted.

PlatinumPost reports that Justice Nwite had earlier ordered Okorie’s remand at the Suleja Correctional Centre on Wednesday after her initial arraignment on a three-count charge, rejecting an oral bail application made by her counsel, Alex Ejesieme, SAN.

Okorie was ordered remanded until Jan. 30 when her formal bail application would be heard.

Recall that Okorie, of 1 Henry Montero Street, Lekki Palm City, Ajah, Lagos, is alleged in an amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/278/2025 to have conspired with Ifeoma Mbonu, now at large, to commit cyberstalking and defamation by referring to Mercy Johnson Okojie as a blood-sucking demon in posts on Instagram and TikTok.

The case followed a petition by Johnson-Okojie’s lawyer, dated May 14, 2025, alleging that Okorie published a defamatory statement on her Instagram page @realagelaokorie.

Part of the petition reads:
“Most alarmingly, in a recent criminal and defamatory publication, Angela Okorie published the following statement via her Instagram page @ realagelaokorie:

‘Blood sucking demon no see blood suck again, E say na slimming tea. Except there’s no God, MJ go and beg people you chop their destinies and destroyed their hornes else no peace for the wicked!!! Gospel songs won’t save you. Your heart Is Dark!!!’

“This malicious statement, clearly targeted at our client, was published with the intent to cause irreparable reputational injury, incite hatred, provoke unrest among the public and further harass and emotionally traumatize our client.

“The tone, content, and framing of the publication aim to portray our client as a destructive person, despite her widely known public image as a humanitarian and devout Christian mother.

“The principal suspect, Angela Okorie, has demonstrated a relentless and calculated effort to incite public hatred and threaten public peace by repeatedly using her social media platform for criminal intimidation, false accusations, and criminal defamation.
“She has become the most aggressive and persistent in this malicious campaign.”