EFCC Reverses Course: Cybercrime Charges Against Citizens Maryam, Abdulhamad Dropped Amidst Public Scrutiny
A civic technology organization, MonITNG, has questioned the legal basis for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute citizens for allegedly damaging its reputation through cybercrime and false information. This follows the arraignment of two individuals, Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad, on such charges. The EFCC later withdrew the charges after considering pleas for leniency, while simultaneously issuing a stern warning against future attacks on its image.
A civic technology organization, MonITNG, recently raised significant questions regarding the legal authority of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prosecute citizens for alleged cybercrime, false information, fabrication, and particularly for damaging the anti-graft agency's reputation. MonITNG emphasized the need for clarity on whether safeguarding the EFCC's image through criminal prosecution falls within its statutory mandate.
These concerns arose following the separate arraignment of Maryam Isah Shehu and Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Both defendants faced charges related to cybercrime, dissemination of false information, and allegedly tarnishing the EFCC's reputation through social media publications. The arraignments took place on Thursday, August 20, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Maryam Isah Shehu was presented with an amended one-count charge, accusing her of cybercrime and character assassination of the EFCC via her Instagram account, @maryamshehu. Specifically, the prosecution alleged that on or about June 21, 2026, Shehu published a message accusing EFCC officials of assaulting one Ahmed Uthman under the instruction of a Zonal Director who had allegedly received N20 million from Usman Iya Abbas. The EFCC asserted that this publication was deliberately intended to tarnish the Commission's reputation, contravening Section 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, and punishable under Section 24(2)(c)(ii) of the same Act.
Abubakar Shuraim Abdulhamad faced a one-count charge, bordering on cybercrime and the alleged criminal fabrication of the Commission's identity. He was accused of fabricating an image resembling an official EFCC arrest placard and publishing it through his X (formerly Twitter) account, @shuraimi, sometime in May 2026. The fabricated image depicted one Sadeeq Kabeer as an alleged EFCC suspect, with an inscription stating,