In a federal high court in Yenegoa, Bayelsa state’s capital, a preliminary objection raised by the defense counsel questioning the prosecution powers of the Department of State Services (DSS) in cybercrime cases has been dismissed.

The DSS had brought charges against a teenager accused of cyber-stalking, specifically circulating a nude picture of a retired Permanent Secretary on social media and attempting to extort money from the retiree.

The deceased retired official, who had submitted a petition to the DSS, testified that the teenager had recorded a nude video of him during their encounter at a Yenagoa hotel.

Justice Isa Dashen ruled that the DSS, as a relevant security agency under the Cybercrimes Prevention and Prohibition Act 2015, has the authority to investigate and prosecute cybercrimes.

The case has been adjourned until September 28.