Ex-NBA Chairman, Tsenyen Remanded In DSS Custody

A former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association in the Shendam branch, Plateau State, Gabriel Nkup Tsenyen, has been remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Naija News reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja, in its ruling on Friday, ordered that Tsenyen be remanded in DSS custody till a decision on the propriety of his fresh arraignment.

The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling, fixed August 20 to determine if the former NBA Chairman can be tried afresh over allegations of cyberstalking and incitement of public disturbances.

Naija News understands that the secret police arraigned Tsenyen before the court on a fresh two-count charge bordering on cyberstalking and incitement to breach public peace.

However, the counsel to the defendant, Emmanuel Esene (SAN), objected the arraignment after Tsenyen was called into the dock to take his plea.

Esene in his defense brought to the notice of the court that Tsenyen had already been arraigned before the same court on the same allegations and that the earlier case had been adjourned until September 28 for trial.

The counsel to Tsenyen charged the court to ignore the new charges, arguing that if the new counts are permitted, it will expose his client to double jeopardy.

The cousel to the DSS, Muinat Oladunjoye, however, said she was unaware of any previous charge against Tsenyen.

Oladunjoye appeared for the prosecution from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Justice Abdulmalik, having heard both side, requested a copy of the earlier charge from the defence. Esene produced the document before the court.

The presiding judge, thereafter, demanded for the record of proceedings in the earlier case to enable her to determine whether the former NBA Chairman had indeed been arraigned on the same allegations.

The defence, who stated that the fresh charge had come as a surprise to them on Thursday,  said it could not produce the record immediately.

Following Esene’s stand, Justice Abdulmalik then ordered that the record of proceedings in the earlier trial be produced on August 20.

Justice Abdulmalik, thereafter ordered that Tsenyen be remanded at the DSS detention facility, pending the production and examination of the record.

The fresh charge was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Iseoluwa Oyedepo.

In the first count, the prosecution alleged that Tsenyen, sometime in May 2026, sent a malicious publication on the Ngootuguut local community WhatsApp platform alleging that the entire community was involved in a plot to eliminate him.

The prosecution alleged that he knew the publication to be false and sent it “for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will and needless anxiety” in the community.

The alleged offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prevention, Prohibition, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.

In count two, the prosecution alleged that the lawyer sent the same publication “with intent to incite or cause breach of public peace.”

The alleged offence was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 114 of the Penal Code Act, 2004.