A Twitter user, Ameerah Safiyanu, who raised a false alarm on Twitter over an alleged kidnap, has pleaded guilty before a Magistrate Court in Abuja.
Thelagostimes recalls that earlier this month, Ameerah had, in a tweet, claimed that she was abducted with 16 others, thereby prompting the police to launch an investigation into the matter.
However, following the investigation, the Police discovered that her claim was untrue. She was said to have been receiving treatment for mental issues in a Lagos hospital and had raised the alarm from the facility.
On Wednesday, a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja sentenced Ameerah Sufyan to psychiatric care after she was convicted of raising a false kidnap alarm.
Ameerah was arraigned on a one-count charge of misleading the police which is an offense under Section 140 of the Penal Code. She pleaded guilty when the charge was read to her on Wednesday. After this, the prosecutor, James Idachaba, tendered a medical report which showed that the defendant was suffering from mental issues.
Idachaba called on the Magistrate court to convict the defendant after her guilty plea but give her a non-custodial sentence in line with the provisions of Section 44 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
He also called on the court to keep her under the watch of the Police Counselling Unit so that her mental state will be regularly monitored.