The hashtag “Free Naira Marley” is currently trending on the Nigerian Twitter trend, in what appears to be the anticipation of Naira Marley‘s freedom.
The development is coming a few hours to the court appearance of the musician who is currently facing criminal charges leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This online news platform had reported earlier that the anti-graft agency arraigned the singer before a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city earlier today.
EFCC arraigned Naira Marley before the court on 11 count charges bordering on cybercrime, which he pleaded not guilty to.
One of the counts reads: “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Yad Isril (still at large), on or about the 26th day of November, 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourself to use Access card no : 5264711020433662 issued to persons other than you in a bid to obtain gain and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1) (b) of the Cybercrime Prohibition, Prevention etc Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the same Act.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him by the anti-graft agency.
In view of his pleas, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court for a trial date.
Oyedepo also prayed for accelerated hearing of the case and urged the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.
Counsel to the defendant, Taiwo Oluwa Ore- Agba, asked the court for a date to hear the bail application on behalf of his client.
Consequently, Justice Oweibo adjourned the case to May 30, 2019, and ordered the defendant to be remanded in prison custody pending the hearing of the bail application
Ahead of his court appearance today, some Nigerians have taken to the micro-blogging site, Twitter to demand for Naira Marley’s freedom with #FreeNairaMarley.