SaharaReporters previously reported that the legal team of Ifejirika had formally requested an expedited hearing of his bail application following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
The police have filed a motion seeking to withdraw the counter-affidavit earlier submitted in opposition to the bail application of Nigerian cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Linus Williams Ifejirika, popularly known as B-Lord.
However, proceedings in the matter could not continue as the presiding judge was reportedly unavailable in court, SaharaReporters learnt on Tuesday...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.
SaharaReporters previously reported that the legal team of Ifejirika had formally requested an expedited hearing of his bail application following his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
In a letter dated April 2, 2026, obtained by SaharaReporters and issued by Dunu Chambers, his counsel urged the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to assign a vacation judge to hear the bail application on April 8 or 9, 2026, on an urgent basis.
The letter, signed by his lawyer, Chukwudi Chikelue, noted that Ifejirika was arraigned on April 1 before Justice R.N. Ofili-Ajumogobia at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a case filed by the Nigeria Police Force, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/126/2026.
According to the defence counsel, although a bail application was filed and served on the prosecution immediately after arraignment, it could not be heard the same day as it was not yet ripe for consideration.
The matter was thereafter adjourned to April 27, 2026, for trial.
“The application for bail will be ripe for hearing on the 8th April, 2026. We humbly request for a date for hearing of the application for bail on the 8th or 9th of April, 2026 by the vacation judge,” the letter read.
Ifejirika, 27, is facing a six-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime, impersonation, and fraud, filed by the Inspector-General of Police.
Court documents show that the charges stem from allegations that the businessman fraudulently used the identity, image, and brand of social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to promote his business ventures, including the Billpoint application.
In one of the counts, prosecutors accused Ifejirika of falsely claiming that VeryDarkMan endorsed his platform as the “number one app” for booking local and international flights, an action said to violate provisions of the Cybercrime (Prevention, Protection, etc.) Act.
Another charge alleges that Ifejirika used his Instagram handle, @mrblordofficial, to mislead the public into believing that VeryDarkMan was his brand ambassador, with the intent of gaining financial advantage.
The prosecution further accused him of making false promotional posts, including claims that the activist would attend a business rally in Onitsha, Anambra State, allegedly to lure unsuspecting members of the public into making financial commitments based on the announcement.
Additional counts include alleged involvement in permitting the use of business premises linked to Blord Group for disseminating fraudulent messages, as well as the creation of fake digital records, including a purported flight ticket bearing the name “Martins Otse.”
The offences are said to contravene provisions of both the Cybercrime Act (as amended in 2024) and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
Ifejirika has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His arraignment and subsequent remand followed a petition by VeryDarkMan, who accused the entrepreneur of repeatedly using his name and likeness without consent to promote products and services.
As previously reported by SaharaReporters, the court ordered Ifejirika’s detention at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending further proceedings scheduled for April 27.
