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The Federal High Court has dismissed as false a social media report claiming that Justice James Omotosho narrowly escaped an assassination attempt following his recent judgement sentencing Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment.
The rumour, circulated by a blogger on Facebook, alleged that the Abuja-based judge was attacked early Saturday and rushed to the hospital while security officials worked to secure the scene.
In a statement released on Sunday by the Chief Registrar of the court, Sulaiman Hassan, the judiciary described the report as a deliberate fabrication.
Hassan emphasised that no such incident occurred and urged the public to disregard the claim completely.
According to the court, the publication was designed to mislead the public and stir unnecessary anxiety.
The Registrar noted that spreading false information of this nature undermines public confidence in the justice system.
He called on security agencies and relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the originators of the fake news, with the aim of bringing them to justice under existing laws on cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.
Justice Omotosho had on Thursday delivered judgement in the terrorism case involving the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The court commuted several death-penalty offences to life imprisonment and issued additional sentences on other counts.
The judge also ordered that Kanu be held in protective custody outside the Kuje Correctional Centre and restricted from unauthorised access to digital devices.
He further ruled that other exhibits recovered from Kanu may be subjected to forfeiture applications by the DSS after the statutory window for appeal.
The court clarified that despite the intensity of public reactions to the verdict, there had been no attack (real or attempted) on the judge.
It urged members of the public to rely on official communication channels rather than unverified online posts.
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