Doris Ogala remanded in Kirikiri over alleged cyberstalking of Pastor Okafor
By Damilola Akinwale –
A Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday remanded actress Doris Ogala at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of her bail application over allegations of cyberbullying, cyberstalking and attempted extortion of Pastor Chris Okafor.
The Abia State African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate was arraigned on a three-count charge before Justice Akintayo Aluko over allegations involving the publication of intimate photographs, dissemination of allegedly false electronic messages and threats against the clergyman.
The prosecution counsel, Tolulope Mokolu, told the court that the defendant committed the offences between September 2024 and March 2026. He alleged that Ogala intentionally published nude photographs of Okafor on her social media accounts without his consent, causing him emotional distress and reputational damage. The photographs were subsequently circulated across social media blogs and platforms.
He also accused Ogala of intentionally disseminating videos, recordings and electronic messages containing false information to bully, threaten, intimidate and harass the cleric unless he compensated her or bought her a house.
According to the prosecutor, Ogala circulated the publications to damage Okafor’s reputation, allegedly contravening Sections 24(1)(a), 24(2)(a) and 24(2)(c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Ogala, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Mokolu subsequently asked the court to fix a date for trial and order her remand pending the determination of the case. He also informed the court that he had only received the defendant’s bail application on Wednesday and needed time to study it and file a response.
Objecting to the remand request, defence counsel, N. C. Atulomah, argued that the decision to grant bail rested within the court’s discretion. He urged the court to release the actress, citing her political ambition, and undertook to produce her at the next hearing.
In his ruling, Justice Aluko held that the defence had not placed sufficient material before the court to justify the defendant’s release. He ordered an accelerated hearing of the bail application and adjourned the matter until October 30, 2026, while directing that Ogala remain at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of her bail application.
