Court sentences PDP youth leader to one year imprisonment for insulting Buhari, SGF on Facebook

A Youth Leader of the People’s Democratic Party in the Hong Local Government Area, Ikamu Kato, has been sentenced to one year imprisonment for insulting the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari; and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. 

A Chief Magistrate’s Court 4 sitting in Yola, Adamawa State on Monday hugged controversy as it sentenced Kato to a yearlong prison term for use of abusive words with a N25,000 fine option.

He was also sentenced to year long imprisonment for inciting public disturbance, with a N25,000 fine option.

Both sentences run concurrently, the chief magistrate Dimas Elishama ruled.

Kato had been earlier arrested and detained in prison custody for a Facebook post criticising a Boko Haram attack on Dabna community, during which over 20 persons lost their lives, took to Facebook. 

The infuriated PDP leader called out the SGF and Buhari over their failure to secure the lives of residents of his council where the SGF also hails from. 

Kato, 41, described President Muhammadu Buhari and Boss Mustapha as “useless human beings” he specifically called the SGF a “Bastard and a Dog” in a video he posted on social media on 10th of July, 2021, which went viral.

But the Facebook post however generated a case allegedly instituted by loyalists of the SGF, under the aegis of Adamawa Concerned Citizens, headed by Husseini Gambo. 

Kato was then invited and arraigned before the court by the Department of State Services through the office of the state Attorney General last Friday. 

At the court sitting,  Chief Magistrate, Dimas Elishama, said that the court had considered the plea of the convict to temper justice with mercy, his conduct during the trial, his apology, adding that he would not be left to go scot-free, but be punished to serve as deterrent to others.