The trial of Isaac Bristol, widely known by his social media handle “PIDOMNigeria,” was postponed on Tuesday due to the absence of Justice Emeka Nwite, who serves on the Federal High Court in Abuja. The hearing, originally scheduled for today, could not take place because Justice Nwite is currently on a two-week vacation leave. This leave follows his participation in court sessions during the annual vacation period that lasted from July 23 to September 13. The next scheduled trial date for Bristol has been set for January 22, 2025.
On September 27, Justice Nwite had granted Bristol bail in the amount of N5 million, with the stipulation that he provide one surety in a similar sum. This decision was made during a ruling on a bail application submitted by Bristol’s attorney, Deji Adeyanju. In his ruling, Justice Nwite emphasized that bail is a constitutional right and outlined the conditions under which Bristol could be released. He specified that the surety must be a reputable citizen, and both the tax clearance certificate and address of the surety would need to be verified by the court. Furthermore, the judge mandated that Bristol surrender his international passport to the court. He warned that failure to comply with these conditions would result in the revocation of his bail.
Prior to being granted bail, Bristol had been remanded at a correctional facility until the bail conditions were met. The matter was adjourned until November 5 for further proceedings. Bristol was arrested by police on August 5 at his hotel room in Rivers State. The arrest was publicly announced by Force spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who claimed that Bristol had committed serious offenses that undermined the integrity of government operations.
Bristol was subsequently arraigned on September 3, facing a nine-count charge brought by Simon Lough, SAN, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police before Justice Nwite. The charges against him include the unlawful acquisition and distribution of classified government documents, the destruction of evidence, and violations of relevant money laundering and cybercrime laws. Prosecutor Lough contended that Bristol had shared documents alleging that President Bola Tinubu had released N24.1 billion to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) through the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima, and he later claimed that the amount had been increased to N90 billion. Bristol has denied all allegations against him.
