The Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo, Taraba state, has granted bail to Fonya Sule, who was arrested over an alleged defamatory Facebook post concerning governor Agbu Kefas and his running mate, Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, popularly known as Aunty Zee.

Counsel to the defendant, Pius Danba Pius, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Jalingo over the weekend, explaining that the court granted his client bail after considering the nature of the charge and holding that it was bailable.

The development, as observed by our correspondent, comes amid criminal proceedings instituted against Sule by the Taraba state government through the Office of the Attorney-General over the alleged social media publication.

According to court documents, the state government filed a criminal complaint against Sule before an Upper Area Court, accusing him of publishing statements concerning governor Kefas and Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim on his Facebook account on August 12, 2026.

The complaint specifically cited a post allegedly published by the defendant, which read: “Aunty Zee be Very careful ooh, if not u will soon carry belle, that your boss na one time BuGu.”

The state government is alleging that the publication constitutes criminal defamation and injurious falsehood, offences punishable under Sections 392 and 393 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 98, Laws of Taraba State, 1997.

The legal action places the alleged Facebook post at the centre of a criminal case in which the government is seeking to establish whether the publication violated the relevant provisions of the state’s penal law.

Meanwhile, the defendant’s counsel confirmed that his client had been granted bail, although the available information did not specify the conditions attached to the bail

The case was adjourned until October 28, 2026, for further proceedings.

Sule remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a competent court of law. (The Guardian)